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arts life

Art for everyone: monthly Papirmasse is back P. 13

Grab a hearty helping of The People Potato’s new cookbook P. 8

No student centre funds for Loyola

In solidarity with Egypt

CSU’s Loyola VP, ASFA president believe funding should come from elsewhere

Photo spread P. 5

Jacques Gallant Assistant news editor The CSU may have almost $7 million gathering dust in its student centre building fund, but several student leaders are quick to oppose the suggestion that any part of that money be used to improve facilities at Loyola.

The idea was put forward at the CSU’s informational general meeting last Thursday as students debated what to do with the money, especially in light of the failed November referendum to increase the student centre fee levy.

Although VP Loyola and Advocacy Hassan Abdullahi said he is always looking for more funding for one of his primary portfolios, he emphasized that allocating a portion of the building fund to improve Loyola’s SC building is not the way to go.

“I would be against that idea because we don’t own the SC building, we have it under lease from the university,” he said. “But a new student centre downtown would be something that we as students would own.”

Tuesday, Feb.1, 2011

music

See “Lease on SC...” on p.3

Mike Palm brings Agent Orange to Montreal P. 18

Martin Luther King III at Concordia

sports Chris O’Kill McMullen is the latest new bee to join football roster P. 19

CSU spends $30k for speech by civil rights advocate Evan LePage News editor

opinions

More than 47 years after his father’s “I Have a Dream” speech defined the American Civil Rights movement, Martin Luther King III will be giving a speech to Concordia students during Black History Month.

“I think he has the inspirational charisma that his father had,” said CSU president Heather Lucas. “I think that will inspire all students at Concordia to get involved and ... to do everything it takes to help pursue that hope and just be an activist.”

Should the kirpan be accepted or banned?

P. 22 Photo by Carolina Betancourt Laserna Volume 28 Issue 19

See “MKL III...” on p.4

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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Got a news tip? news@theconcordian.com

City in brief Jacques Gallant

Down with credit cards

At last Thursday’s CSU IGM, students voted overwhelmingly in support of a motion that would call on credit card vendors to stop distributing their precious plastic on campus.

The idea came from student Jamie Kelly, who noted that the CSU should be active on this issue because of its Annex D, which stipulates that the student union opposes any financial schemes that would increase student debt. Although attention was notably directed toward BMO’s credit card kiosk in the LB building, Kelly stated that the motion should apply to all vendors. Student Laura Beach eventually proposed the motion, which also stated that the CSU work closely with Alumni Relations in preventing banks and other institutions from returning to campus with their credit cards.

city

Homeless seeking shelter are getting younger Cold temperatures fill up beds, but resources are shrinking Jacques Gallant Assistant news editor Not only has the -40C temperature caused more of the city’s homeless to take shelter from the cold, but those seeking beds are also getting

Fabrikant back in court

Convicted murderer and former Concordia engineering professor Valery Fabrikant was back in court last week, pursuing a $600,000 lawsuit against his old colleagues. He claims certain university staff members profited from his work and ‘’extorted’’ his documents. This is the first time in almost four years that Fabrikant, who shot four faculty colleagues to death in 1992, has been in a courtroom. His lawsuit was thrown out in 2007 after the judge tired of hearing Fabrikant complain about a variety things unrelated to the case; but the Quebec Court of Appeal later deemed the judge’s decision an error.

And now that the trial has resumed, so have the complaints. Fabrikant lamented last Monday about his leg irons, the conditions of his cell, and his cold feet.

Terminator of geography

Over 600 people doled out big bucks last Thursday to hear former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger address Montreal’s Board of Trade during his cross-Canada speaking tour. And while he touched on topics such as pensions, immigration laws, and green policies, he also made a few notables blunders, such as commending the courage of Canada’s troops in Iraq, and including Montreal on a list of world capitals. Tickets for the presentation were in the range of $350, while 100 people paid $1,500 for the privilege of meeting and being photographed with the still chiseled 63-year old former bodybuilder and actor.

had been no demands over the past week for emergency funding due to the cold. She stressed that these requests are always processed between 24 and 48 hours.

Homeless shelters across Montreal were reporting a huge spike in occupancy last week. At Old Brewery, all 181 beds reserved for men were full over the weekend of Jan. 22-23, as were their dozen or so emergency cots. The 80 beds in the women’s section were also full.

“During the winter, we try our best to find a place for an individual, we won’t turn anyone away,” said Lavigne. “Normally those who

slept over would leave at 7 a.m. but in this case everyone stayed because of the cold and there are no day shelters opened during the weekend.”

Lavigne said the effort to keep more than 100 street people indoors day and night overused their finances, and indicated that important budgetary decisions will need to be made in the near future.

“65 per cent of our budget comes from corporate and private donations,” he said. “It’s not always a pretty sight, but we do what we can. The humanitarian aspect of it all is what’s most important.”

AcAdeMic

Plagiarism still a problem, technology not helping

Latest Open to Concordia tops in engineering competition Question tackles Montreal last month, Concordia’s delegation took home two gold academic medals and one silver out of four integrity on different competitions. Each year, students from 10 universities across campus Canada gather at the NIEC to listen to industry experts discuss various issues related to industrial engineering. This year’s event was themed “Industrial Engineering, an opportunity for Healthcare and Services.”

At the end of the event, Concordia was voted to be the host of the 2013 national conference.

younger, says an official with Quebec’s largest homeless shelter.

“Ten years ago the average age of these guys would have been about 45, now it’s closer to 35,” said Robert Lavigne, head of emergency operations and services at Old Brewery Mission. “We’re even seeing some college students come in, some of them are so knowledgeable. Often, these guys are coming to us from foster homes or they have mental issues and they end up at the mission.”

Still, director of Concordia’s Financial Aid and Awards Office, Laura Stanbra, indicated that there

Shereen Ahmed Rafea Staff writer Every semester most students at Concordia are greeted, whether in their syllabuses or by their professors, with a stern message about plagiarism.

While these discussions of sourcing and bibliographies may feel repetitive semester after semester, copying material without proper attribution and even buying papers are ongoing problems at the university, ones that have been taken to different levels with the Internet.

“Recently, we’ve discovered something that was quite troubling,” said Ollivier Dyens, vice-provost of teaching and learning. “A website that will actually write the essay for you, completely new, for a very little amount of money.”

According to Dyens, Concordia has about 400 cases of plagiarism a year, and technology has played an important role in that high number, with websites that offer completed assignments and answers to exam or homework questions.

Dyens spoke last Thursday along with arts and science code administrator Csaba Nikolenyi on the issue of academic integrity as part of the university’s Open to Question series.

“Plagiarism is a complex issue,” said Dyens. “There’s no silver bullet to tackle the issue; there’s all sorts of different things going on, it’s not easy.”

Misconceptions about plagia-

rism were also discussed by Dyens.

He stated that most students found guilty at the undergraduate level do not have low grade point averages.

“That’s not the case; a lot of them have good GPAs, many of them have average GPAs, and most of them are in good academic standing,” he said.

Dyens also stated that students found guilty are not criminals, and most are honest, but make the mistake of plagiarizing because of poor time management skills.

While technology has contributed to the instances of plagiarism, it also helps the university detect these cases. The speakers referenced a new software piloted last fall called Turnitin which can determine if part of a paper is in fact plagiarized.

Both speakers also mentioned other methods to tackle the problem.

“The single best guarantee to protect academic integrity that we can have as faculty members is our

own conduct,” said Nikolenyi. “If we handle our classrooms with integrity students will follow the examples that we set. Let’s show our students that we do good work, we do it with pride, and by example we shall teach.”

Dyens suggested frequent reminders of plagiarism throughout the year as a method of preventing it.

Ultimately, the speakers want students to be aware of the rules so that they avoid the consequences of academic dishonesty.

“I have to tell you, there is nothing more heartwrenching then interviewing a student in my office about a code case, and the student is expecting to graduate in a couple of weeks time at the end of that semester,” Nikolenyi said.

In the case of a second offence, he added “the student can be expelled, minutes, perhaps hours, weeks, or days before graduating.”

JMSB

‘Global Village’ highlights opportunities for students AIESEC business week event showcases cultural associations, NGOs Renee Giblin Staff writer Last week tables, posters and photos lined the entrance of the John Molson building, introducing students to career opportunities outside of Canada. Concordia’s chapter of the International Association of Students in Economics and Business Management organized the event, dubbed the Global Village, to help inform students about certain world issues while also highlighting some of the diversity within the university.

“I think it’s important to learn more about other countries,” said Caroline Cansarau, the organizer of the event. AIESEC provides job opportunities and volunteer positions to graduates in over 100 countries

worldwide. The Global Village was an exercise in international awareness, bringing together many of Concordia’s cultural associations and nongovernmental organizations from around Montreal. The event was part of JMSB’s International Business Week.

Cansarau herself went to China for a year-long internship, during which she taught English. She said the experience of teaching the English language in another country cannot be duplicated in Montreal since, more than work, the person is also immersed in another lifestyle and culture.

“I think it’s a great experience,” she said.

AIESEC offers four different types of internships. There is the education sector where graduates can teach English in other countries. These, Cansarau said, “are the easiest to get into.” There are the developmental internships which are primarily volunteer community programs such as teaching in disadvantaged areas or volunteering in NGOs to fight for Human Rights.

The other two internship experiences are specifically geared to business and engineering students.

Students were introduced to various international careers. Photo by Tristan Glen The first is business management and the other is technical.

“I’m looking for something in my field and I am open to an international experience,” said Blasco Vijayabaskaran, an engineering student who became a member of AIESEC this year. He is looking into the technical programs offered to IT and engineering students.

According to Cansarau the management and technical programs are

not as accessible as teaching English. She said that businesses count on AIESEC to provide talented and motivated students and for that reason the selection process is not as lenient.

Still, there are a lot of opportunities out there. “China, Turkey, Brazil, India and the Ukraine are looking specifically for Canadian students,” Cansarau said.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theconcordian Continued from cover ...

Lease on SC building expires in 2019

He went on to say that the CSU has spent more than $100,000 this year alone on the SC building, which includes the expansion of the Loyola Luncheon and the installation of a new sound system at The Hive. He stated that the CSU has worked hard to ensure that, unlike in the past, Loyola would no longer be overlooked.

However, a few students who took the microphone thought otherwise. The motion that was presented at the IGM noted that Loyola is a central location for many sports and clubs and that the SC building was in dire need of renovations.

But Abdullahi was still adamant

that transferring money to Loyola from the building fund would be ‘counter-productive.’

“The majority of students are downtown and the idea behind the student centre fund is that, first and foremost, downtown lacks a student centre,” he said. “We set out 10 years ago to build a student centre downtown, and keep in mind that Loyola is in NDG where there is already a lot more green space than downtown.”

He indicated that the CSU was only required to pay approximately $20 to the university in order to lease the SC building from 2009 to 2019. He is confident that when the

time comes, Concordia will renew the lease.

“The university knows that the SC building is for student space,” he said.

Abdullahi is not alone in opposing the suggestion presented at the IGM. Aaron Green, president of the Arts and Science Federation of Associations, an umbrella organization that includes Loyola’s student associations, is also against the idea.

“I do agree with Hassan that we should be looking for other sources of funding for renovating our existing facilities on the Loyola campus,” he said.

Green stated that it is up to stu-

dent groups to continue to lobby the administration to pour more funds into Loyola.

In the end, it was agreed at the IGM that councilor Lex Gill would present a motion at the CSU’s upcoming council meeting to create a plenary commission that would study more carefully the student centre fund question.

In the opinion of the CSU’s lawyer, expressed in a letter read aloud at the IGM, the decision to use the fund for purposes other than building a student centre on the SGW campus would ultimately have to be voted on in a referendum.

cAMpuS

Membership tells CSU to get tougher on BoG Students want corporate leaders gone; special general meeting called for Valentine’s Day Jacques Gallant Assistant news editor A frustrated student body called on the CSU last Thursday to take a tougher stance on the Board of Governors, namely to revisit a motion it rejected in council that called on all 23 corporate BoG members to resign.

More than 100 students were in attendance at the student union’s informational general meeting and voted overwhelmingly in support of a motion presented by undergrad Alex Matak that would oblige the CSU to call for those external members to step down.

The same motion had originally been presented at the CSU’s council meeting in early January by independent councilor Ethan Fox, but was voted down despite Fox calling it a ‘no-brainer.’ However, because motions passed at last Thursday’s IGM are not legally binding, Matak’s motion will now have to return to council for a vote.

“These concerns were definitely something the CSU needed to hear,” said CSU president Heather Lucas.

“Now that the motion is returning to council, maybe council will

governMent Federal Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis (centre) chose a Loyola science lab to present the seventh update on the Economic Action Plan, which will dispense $28 billion in its second year. Under the stimulus plan launched last fall, Concordia reaped $14 million to help build the Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics, along with millions more in provincial dollars. The Plan is a major spending initiative designed to boost the lagging economy and create jobs. New interim president Frederick Lowy made an appearance, remarking that it had been five years since he had visited Loyola campus. The minister, Lowy and VP government relations and former MNA Russell Copeman took in an organic chemistry lab and then toured the incomplete future genomic centre.

Photo by Tiffany Blaise

Photo by Tiffany Blaise

Students passed a number of BoG-related motions at last Thursday’s CSU IGM. reconsider it. But if council decides to strike it down again, that’s council’s prerogative.”

Matak said she was hopeful the support her motion received at the IGM will nonetheless have sent a strong message to the CSU. She also called on the executive to better inform the student population regarding the current BoG situation.

“I would like to see some of the CSU multi-million dollar budget spent on a massive information and mobilization campaign directed at governance at Concordia, as well as putting their massive financial and human resources towards reforming the governance system from within,” said Matak, a member of the People’s Campus Coalition and creator of the Facebook event ‘Take back the IGM.’ Other BoG-related motions passed at the IGM had already received the backing of the CSU council and other bodies, such as the

university senate. Students voted in support of a motion that called on all external BoG members who have served more than two consecutive terms to not seek re-election. They also passed a motion which mirrored the one passed at the Senate calling for the establishment of a new nominating committee for community-atlarge BoG members.

A second batch of BoG motions that came out of the IGM called specifically for the resignation of BoG chair Peter Kruyt and demanded that interim president Frederick Lowy clarify his position on the calls for Kruyt’s resignation.

Cinema professor, university senator and the only faculty member present at the IGM, Dave Douglas, applauded the students for their motions, but conceded that getting rid of Kruyt will be far from easy.

“Peter Kruyt is nowhere nearer to the door than he was last Thursday,”

he told the crowd. “The motions we passed at senate are non-binding, so we’re no closer to seeing him leave.

But you guys have a vote on the BoG, you can help make sure he goes. I cannot think of another university in Canada that has unanimously told the chair of their board of governors to leave.”

Motions unrelated to the BoG passed at the IGM called on the CSU to denounce the imminent hikes in tuition fees, demand that the university ban bottled water, and ask that the administration post all nondisclosure contracts online.

By the end of the meeting, a petition signed by 100 students was presented to the CSU executive calling for a special general meeting to be held on Feb. 14 on the Reggie’s terrace, with Lucas confirming yesterday that the meeting would go ahead as planned. Motions passed at such a meeting would be considered legally binding.

But for an SGM to happen, the CSU will need to assemble 2.5 per cent (around 825 people) of its membership to have quorum. It was then suggested that at the SGM, a motion could be presented to have quorum set at 1.5 per cent of the membership for all future SGMs due to space issues.

“There was no political will in the past to let us have our voices heard, but this SGM is the most direct way to express yourself,” said Matak to the crowd. “The CSU is a couple million dollar union, and judging by their brilliant student centre campaign, they can manage to get 800 students out that day.”

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Nation in brief Evan LePage

Witness in tyrant’s trial refused refugee status

Despite playing a major role in a case against Charles Taylor, the man behind a civil war in Liberia and conflicts in Sierra Leone that killed hundreds of thousands of people in the 1990s, Cindor Reeves may be forced to leave his safe haven in Canada, Maclean’s has reported. Reeves was Taylor’s brother-in-law but turned on the tyrant, helping British intelligence forces, ultimately providing evidence to build a case against Taylor in the UN Special Court for Sierra Leone. After being unable to work under the Court’s witness protection program in Europe, Reeves took his family to Toronto. But on Jan. 20 the Immigration and Refugee Board rejected his application for refugee status based on their assessment that he came forth with evidence only for self-preservation. He now faces expulsion to Liberia, bar a successful appeal, even though some of Taylor’s followers have threatened him, saying they will kill him and family members if he returns.

Ryerson BoG gets fake Twitter account

Nowadays, if you don’t like someone much, just start a fake Twitter account and spoof them. @Ryerson_BOG is the handle for Ryerson’s Board of Governors’ unofficial Twitter account, reported the Eyeopener.

A sample of a snippy Tweet gem: “Can’t find a course you want to take? That’s ok. It wasn’t important so we cut it. But I’m sure there’s “plenty” of others to choose from.”

Regardless of who might be running it, we hope someone gets on making one for Concordia’s elusive and secretive Board of Governors. Like, real soon.

Student running for NDP in Nfld.

It’s never too early to enter politics.

Rosie Myers, a student at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland, will be representing the NDP in a byelection next month, the Western Star reported. Myers will be vying for the seat in the Humber West district, a district vacated by former progressive conservative premier Danny Williams who retired last December.

In the 2007 general election the NDP didn’t run a candidate in Humber West, and it has been over a decade since the party’s candidate garnered more than four per cent of the vote in that district. The byelection will be held Feb. 15, about eight months before Newfoundland’s regular provincial election.

Baby for sale! Getcha’ baby herrrre!

Kijiji is the site of many odd items up for sale, but this past week that was taken to a new, human level.

A young mother from Sydney, Nova Scotia was shocked when police showed up at her door asking whether she had put her baby up for sale on the classifieds website.

Police were contacted the week before by someone who had seen the ad for the two-month old child and went to make sure the boy was safe.

The police said the parents were unaware and feared, because the address was included in the posting, that the baby might be in danger.

The ad has been taken down, but police are still working to find the person behind it.

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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

World in brief Evan LePage

Jail: no nerds allowed

A U.S. court has shut down an appeal on a ruling that banned Dungeons and Dragons from a prison in Wisconsin. The prison guards had confiscated D&D items (including a 96-page handwritten manuscript about it) from the appellant, Kevin Singer, after they were alerted that he and other inmates playing the game had been recruiting others to join them. After having his complaint dismissed within the prison, Singer filed a civil rights complaint.

He lost his case, however, as prison officials successfully argued that cooperative games could mimic the organizational structure of gangs. We also assume the prison guards were worried the incarcerated former bullies would have a field day with the D&D gang, and that their force field spells wouldn’t protect them.

Students killed in Nigerian protests

University students in Nigeria who were protesting a recent rash of violence between Christians and Muslims became the victims of violence themselves after soldiers opened fire on Saturday. According to AFP, officials said officers fired into the crowd of protesters in self-defence, wounding four students and killing one.

Conflicting reports have the number of injured as high as 24 and dead as high as nine. The protests occurred in Jos, the site of many recent attacks, including the alleged stabbing of three university students by Muslim villagers on Friday. Students were reportedly marching towards a Muslim region Saturday in response to that incident when soldiers intervened and the violence occurred.

Churches and mosques in the area have been set ablaze this past week amid conflicts between students of both religions.

Indian students “tracked” in U.S.

The Indian government condemned the U.S. government last weekend for placing radio trackers on Indian students from California’s Tri-Valley University, an institution recently shut down for being fraudulent. Federal prosecutors closed the school, saying it was a scam which helped foreign citizens acquire student immigration into the U.S., making millions of dollars in tuition in the process.

Hundreds of those students came from India, and with the closing of the school they have become illegal aliens under U.S. law, meaning the government can and has strapped GPS trackers on them to monitor their movements. The Indian government has demanded that the students be treated fairly, according to the Hindustan Times, since they say most of them are victims of the scam themselves and many received their visas from other institutions. They also said the devices should be removed and the students be given an opportunity to clarify their wishes, and return to India unabated if they so wish.

Continued from cover ...

MLK III pursued his father’s path in advocating human rights and nonviolence Lucas was put in charge of the CSU’s contribution to Black History Month when she was elected VP services last spring. Her focus, she said, was on finding a speaker that was a well-known activist and to her King seemed like a natural choice.

His speech, the CSU’s only contribution to the 2011 Black History Month festivities at Concordia, came with a hefty price tag of $30,000. Lucas also said they had already reserved King as a speaker early into last summer.

King was only 10 years old when his father was assassinated.

He has spent much of his career working as a human rights advocate and is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, an organization founded by his mother

back taxes and fines, the New York Times reported. Then, after being elected as head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1997, King was criticized for inactivity in his role, before being reinstated a week later.

Most recently King has been in the news for expressing interest in becoming a minority owner or strategic partner in the ownership of the New York Mets. In a statement released Sunday, he said “I personally, or as part of a collective, can advance the vision of a more diverse ownership group in professional sports, domestically or internationally, then, like my father, I am prepared to act in that spirit.”

Dwight Best, the chief executive coordinator of the African and Caribbean Students Network and one of the main organizers of this year’s

Black History Month celebration at Concordia, said he was happy to see that the CSU was “continuing to bring people that have something to say about the condition of Africans in North America.”

Best, who said he has already met King, called the speaker an “interesting guy,” but one who is different from his father because he benefited, as all African Americans did, from his father’s legacy.

While he wasn’t sure how familiar King would be with the situation of black people in Canada, Best said he was even more “excited for the dialogue that his presence is going create more than necessarily what he’s going to say himself.”

King will be speaking on Feb. 10 in association with the CSU speaker series. Times for the event have not been announced as of yet.

HiStory

Black History Month a tool for learning about our “collective histories” Organizers confident they’ve upped quality of BHM at ConU in 2011 Evan LePage News editor Every year, Feb. 1 marks the beginning of a month of appreciation for black history and culture. Black History Month events clearly resonate with those of African descent, but organizers of Concordia’s 2011 edition say that the celebration serves as a valuable illustration of our collective histories.

“Basically it’s about unity within the community of people with African descent, or black people, with the larger community as a whole,” said Dwight Best, chief executive coordinator of the African and Caribbean Students Network and main organizer of this year’s celebration of Black History

Month at Concordia. “We want the whole Concordia community to feel like it’s a part of this because Black history is only a part of the collective history that we all share.”

Best used the notion of collective history to illustrate unity, one of the month’s two themes. The other theme is evolution, which he said referred to the continuing progress and growth of the community. He also referenced the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. nearly 43 years ago as a marker of just how far we have come.

“Forty-three years in the span of history is not a long time,” Best said.

“When you look at the development of the African Canadian community, not just the African American community, there has been a lot of progress in that time.”

The reference was a fitting one, as Martin Luther King III will be speaking on Feb. 10 at Concordia.

Other Black History Month festivities, titled “Lift Every Voice,” include multiple film screenings, an International African Inventors Museum showcasing some of the most notable

inventions by those of African descent, and a presentation about the Sir George Williams University computer riots.

The latter event is another clear illustration of the collective nature of the month, according to National Society of Black Engineers member and Black History Month organizer Tamara Gordon. “Part of what happened to our heritage affected their heritage,” she said. “The [computer] riots were because of six black students who weren’t being graded fairly by professors and that did not only affect black students, it affected all of Concordia.”

ACSioN Concordia, the African Students’ Association of Concordia, Concordia Caribbean Student Union, NSBE-Concordia and the Ralliement Étudiant Haïti-Canada planned this year’s festivities at Concordia with the help and contribution of many other student groups and a few external bodies.

Their collaboration has paid off according to Best, who said that this month’s activities will be the best in a few years. He said that in 2009 and

2010 the organization and quality dwindled in comparison to earlier years, attributing the chance to a few factors like a lack of help from the Concordia Student Union and more broadly the economic crisis underway.

While Best said that this year again “the CSU is not doing as much as maybe we would have hoped, or maybe they could have,” he added: “I think what they are doing is greatly appreciated.” He focused instead on how successful the organization has been in 2011 and all the positive contributions of the volunteers and member associations involved.

The strong planning, he said, will show itself in the quality of events.

“This is probably one of the best ways that our community has of really opening up and saying ‘Hey, this is what we’ve got, this is some of the best that our community has to offer and this is really your time to jump in and see what’s going on,’” he said.

“Almost anyone at the events is going to learn a lot.”

Lecture

South Sudan lacks a clear vision: experts

Presentation shows that there are still various unresolved Diddy sued for $1 trill, conflicts in the accused of causing 9/11 region

A 31-year-old woman has filed a lawsuit against Sean Combs, his former girlfriend Kim Porter and Rodney King of all people, claiming they “knocked down the World Trade Center,” apparently in reference to 9/11. She also allegedly claimed that he “disabled” her and her son and sold a poker chip of hers worth “100 zillions of dollars.” The woman is asking for a total of $1 trillion in the suit. She also requested a restraining order against the rapper which was denied by the judge, though I doubt Diddy would mind.

Coretta Scott King.

Beyond his role in various organizations, King has always spoke out in favour of peace, free speech, human understanding and acceptance, tenets pursued by his father. Recently, King spoke out on the shooting of Republican Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson Arizona, saying the tragedy was another reminder that nonviolence has not yet been achieved in the U.S. King’s career has not been without controversy however, and his activism has at times been overshadowed by criticism about his role in commercializing his father’s legacy and for his public statements saying his father’s death was a conspiracy, among other things. After six years as a Fulton County commissioner starting in the late ‘80s, King had amassed over $200,000 in

Hiba Zayadin Contributor Even after preliminary results showed that 98 per cent of Southern Sudanese wanted to form their own country, experts say the future of the soon-to-be African nation is still very much unclear.

Khalid Medani, a Sudanese professor at McGill, and Laku Bill, a journalist and refugee from Southern Sudan, were invited to speak at

the Hall building last Thursday by Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND), a new student group on campus focusing on anti-genocide in Darfur and the referendum in South Sudan.

Medani brought the crowd up to date on the historical background of Sudan, the events that led to the referendum now, and the important role Canada plays in the region.

The referendum took place in Southern Sudan in early January on whether the region should remain a part of Sudan or gain independence.

Once the preliminary results have been declared official, South Sudan could become the world’s newest country by July.

However, key players fear violence for reasons that include oil, religion, and certain disputed regions.

The issue of identity is at the heart of the conflict facing Sudan. Both speakers were intent on discussing

the clash of identities between the North, where the majority of Arab Muslims live, and the South, where the Sudanese consider themselves non-Muslim Africans.

Bill was born in southern Sudan but grew up in the North.

“The main issue in Sudan is: who are the Sudanese?,” he said. “When I look to our national TV, I don’t see myself represented. Even now, when Khaled Medani was introduced, he was called a Sudanese professor.

When I am introduced I am called an activist from South Sudan. But I’m not a southern Sudanese activist, I am a Sudanese activist. I believe in the unity of Sudan.”

The idea of representation is one of the biggest elements that drove South Sudan to seek autonomy, said the presenters. Bill, like most other south Sudanese, is ecstatic at the notion of independence, but he too fears what the future holds. The

country is ridden with corruption, controversy, and unresolved disputes.

Both Bill and Medani agreed that South Sudan lacks vision, and a stable plan to move forward.

“Sudan is not a nation yet, it is a notion, an idea,” said Bill. “After 25 years of war, how can we make the people put their guns down and become artists?”

Menachem Freedman, one of the organizers of the event, told the crowd he hoped the presentation would lead to more concrete actions.

“The idea is that, while its wonderful to learn more about these conflicts, hopefully this will also spur you into some kind of action. There are all sorts of things we can do on the local grassroots level. For example, building relationships between Sudanese in Sudan and Sudanese refugees in other places,” he said.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

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Montrealers react to Egyptian uprising More than 75 people have been killed and 2,000 injured since protests demanding an end to Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak’s nearly 30 years in power began on Jan. 25 in Cairo, shortly after similar uprisings overthrew the president in neighbouring Tunisia. In part because information about the protests was being transmitted among Egyptians on Twitter, the government has blocked Internet usage and also imposed a temporary cellphone blackout. The Canadian government has since urged for democratic reform in Egypt. The first planes removing Canadians stranded in the country took off on Monday.

Demonstrations were held in front of the Egyptian Consulate in Montreal throughout the weekend to show solidarity with the protesters in Egypt. Protesters chanted and held signs like “Dégage Moubarak” and “Enough is Enough.” Saturday afternoon’s demonstration saw over 200 people pack the area in front of 1000 de la Gauchetière St. W. Many Egyptian Montrealers have struggled to contact family members in the nation where communication has been seriously limited. However, neither the CSU nor the International Students Office had been contacted by Egyptian students in relation to the conflict.

Neither the Concordia Egyptian Students Association nor the Egyptian Student Association in North America could be reached by press time.

Photos by Carolina Betancourt Laserna

WAter

Students call for increased water facilities at open forums

Referendum question in March to propose banning bottled water Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo Assistant arts editor

While it seems steps towards formulating a university-wide strategy regarding water are being taken, as evidenced by an invitation extended by the VP services to students to voice their opinions during two open forums last week, not everyone is convinced.

A forum was held at each campus, and served as a meeting between administrative representatives, staff, faculty and students to discuss issues surrounding drinking water at Concordia.

Acting VP services Roger Côté, who moderated the forums, opened the SGW session by saying that they are part of a “broader consultation process.” He later added that they were being held so as to “[inform] a view or a strategy that we may want to deploy at the university.”

However, Morgan Pudwell, the CSU’s VP sustainability and promotions, said the events suffered from

Photo by Tristan Glen

a lack of publicity. “They didn’t really reach out to students to get them there,” she said. “Just because you host something doesn’t mean that people know that they should come.” The downtown forum was attended by approximately 40 people, while the turnout at Loyola was considerably lower.

Discussion quickly turned to issues surrounding drinking water, chiefly water fountains and bottled water. In a response echoed by others at the forum, Chad Walcott, ASFA’s VP of external affairs and sustainability, said students often do not have access to use water fountains or the inclination to use

them. “A lot of the students don’t want to use the water fountains, not because they’d rather have bottled water but because they find the water fountains themselves disgusting and not well up-kept,” he said.

Concordia’s director of media relations Chris Mota confirmed that facilities and management are look-

ing to improve maintenance, but was unable to give a specific time frame. “The commitment that has been made is to do it sooner rather than later so that’s not something that’s going to sit on the back burner,” she said. There are 198 water fountains on campus.

The topic of bottled water on campus elicited several calls for clarification. When prompted, Côté said that Concordia has no specific policy regarding bottled water on campus. He also confirmed that there is a clause in the contract signed last October with Pepsico that, if invoked, would allow for the restriction of bottled water on campus. The provision does not preclude the other private enterprises operating on campus from selling the liquid. Mota said, “Chartwells, our food service, does also sell bottled water at this point, but we’re in no position to ask them to stop until their contract with the university has expired.” Both the Pepsico and Chartwells contracts are set to expire in 2015.

The CSU will be bringing two water-related policies to referendum in March, the first dealing with the university’s beverage contract and the second with bottled water.

Pudwell said Côté indicated that if students voted against the sale of bottled water, “he would definitely take that into consideration as a strong voice from the students.”

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theconcordian

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

HeALtH

Perfectionism hurts students: study

Not everyone is buying the psychology study’s conclusions

Torey Ellis The Dalhousie Gazette (Dalhousie University)

HALIFAX (CUP) — A psychology professor at Dalhousie University has found that perfectionism may be doing some people more harm than good.

“It’s an ugly situation, where you’re striving for more but achieving less,” said Simon Sherry, one of the authors of a new study on perfectionism in the academic world.

The study surveyed approximately 1,300 professors from psychology programs throughout North America. It suggests professors with high levels of perfectionism tend to produce less research, and the research that is produced is published in less prestigious journals.

Sherry says the findings can be applied to students as well.

“What do we know about perfectionism in academia? It’s associated with writer’s block, public speaking anxiety, fear of failure, fear of success, statistics anxiety and a range of academic problems,” said Sherry. All of these, he says, are traits students can relate to.

Aislin Graham, a third-year psychology PhD student, can attest to that.

“It’s the same thing with undergrads, professors are just at a more extreme level,” she said. “You’re always in this environment where you’re receiving criticism or feedback and individuals who have perfectionism on top of that, I think they kind of get stuck.”

Sean Mackinnon, another PhD student studying under Sherry, says that the first transitioning year into university is the most emotional.

“The university environment, unfortunately, is one that really pulls for perfectionism. Because theoretically, you can do perfect,” he said.

“Realistically, nobody can get 100 per cent. Other parts of perfectionism are people evaluating you and having really high standards for you, and sometimes in a university environment that’s not all in your head.

People are really doing it.”

But David Mensink, a psychologist at Dalhousie’s counselling centre, disagrees with the idea that perfectionism can be bad.

“I don’t think you can overstrive,” he said. “What I would say is problematic is the response to not doing things perfectly.”

Mensink says the top three issues that students bring to him are anxiety, depression and relationship problems. He also runs a group for students with eating disorders. All are dysfunctions that Sherry believes result from perfectionist thinking.

“For the perfectionistic person, [negative] feedback likely gets framed in terms of a failure, which can be

the take-off point for problems in young people. Depression, anxiety, disordered eating, that sort of thing,” said Sherry.

“Perfectionists also often view other people not as collaborators but as competitors,” he said. “We know that perfectionism results in a number of relationship difficulties.”

“I don’t agree with that at all,” said Mensink. But, he believes “perfectionism” is the wrong word. He says that the self-defeating behav-

iours Sherry mentions are the result of what he calls “distorted thinking.”

Mensink uses a personal example to demonstrate his idea of perfectionism. “I want to do therapy perfectly.

I do. For every client that comes in that experiences depression, anxiety, relationship problems, I want to help them perfectly.”

In terms of the self-defeating behaviours that Graham, Mackinnon and Sherry believe perfectionist thinking brings on, Mensink argues

that the mindset can also be the cure.

“Say someone has anorexia — so how can they have a more perfect relationship with their food? That’s what I want to get at,” he said. “Perfectionism is a good thing.”

The question of whether perfectionism is a good or bad trait is an ongoing debate, says Sherry.

“I think a good way to think about perfectionism is: there’s nothing wrong with being a perfectionist, as long as everything is perfect.”

city Millions of dollars worth of art was spared from an accidental fire that caused $1 million in damages Sunday night in downtown Montreal. Police confirmed Monday that the five-alarm fire, which severely damaged the third floor and roof of the Sherbrooke St. W building, was not set intentionally, the Montreal Gazette reported. The building in question has two levels of residential apartments, but the first floor is home to Première Moisson bakery and the Jean-Pierre Valentin art gallery. The fire department arrived at the fire shortly after 5:30 p.m. and soon after 7 p.m. firemen were seen saving paintings from the building. Photo by Matthew Buttice

LAnguAge

Bilingualism from birth not beneficial?

Researchers shed light on language acquisition Morgan Lowrie Copy editor Despite certain myths to the contrary, young children do not learn two languages as easily as one.

New research suggests that children who are raised in a bilingual environment develop certain aspects of language at a slightly slower rate than their monolingual counterparts, although they catch up by the time they reach school age.

“There is no such thing as magic,” Dr Erika Hoff said emphatically.

“Language acquisition depends on language exposure, and children who hear two languages must hear less of each.”

Hoff was one of three speakers who presented research on bilingualism last Friday at Concordia during a panel discussion hosted by the Centre for Research in Human Development.

She studied language development in toddlers from Spanish and English bilingual families, beginning when the infants were 22 months old. She found that although bilingual and monolingual children acquire new words at the same rate, the monolingual children had slightly better vocabularies in English. They were also quicker to combine words and use longer sentences; however, by the age of 30

months, the bilingual children had all caught up.

Krista Byers-Heinlein, an assistant professor in Concordia’s psychology department, reached some similar conclusions. Her research focused on young infants with English/Tagalog-speaking mothers. She explained that babies can distinguish between two languages nearly from birth. Whereas monolingual babies showed a clear preference for the language of their mother, bilingual babies showed an equal preference for both. Byers-Heinlein found that at 14 months, however, bilingual babies were a little slower than monolinguals to distinguish between similar-sounding new words and to associate them with objects, though this difference was erased by 17 months.

She measured infant preference and learning by something she termed ‘high-amplitude sucking,’ where the babies were given pacifiers hooked up to measure their habits. More sucking meant more interest in the words being spoken.

“You can’t exactly teach a baby to press a button,” Byers-Heinlein said with a laugh.

Finally, Concordia psychology professor Dr. Norman Segalowitz took the podium to explain his research surrounding secondlanguage acquisition in adults. His recent work has focused on finding ways to measure how well people think and process in their second language.

One of his tests asked his subjects to make quick judgements on whether words words in a series

represented living or nonliving things. He found that the people who answered quickest and most automatically were also the most stable in their answers.

In an email, Segalowitz explained that his next step is to see whether his measures of mental processing in a second language correspond to his subjects’ ability to speak it. “We’ve all had the experience of getting A’s in French class and then going out and not being able to have a conversation with a French speaker,” he pointed out.

“These and related measures will be very useful for studying the barriers people face in the real world as they try to become more fluent in their second language,” he explained.

WANTED:

RECHERCHONS :

“The morale and mental fitness of our soldiers are my primary concern. I joined to make a difference in their lives. But the thanks I get from them, well, that’s made a difference in my life.”

Captain CARRA WATSON

« Ma première préoccupation va au moral et à la santé de nos militaires. C’est pour faire une différence dans leur vie que je me suis enrôlée.

Pourtant, ce sont souvent leurs remerciements qui font une différence dans la mienne. » Capitaine CARRA WATSON

SOCIAL WORKERS

CAF10102_10_SWO_BE_02_02.indd 1

TRAVAILLEURS SOCIAUX

11-01-21

life

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

8

Write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com food

Cooking on a shoestring budget: vegan style Un-Chicken Soup

Concordia University group bundles recipes for a second volume

For those of you who crave chicken soup for the soul, this is our best un-chicken recipe. For a beef-like flavor instead, replace nutritional yeast with either soy sauce, tamari or miso.

Caroline Crawford Contributor

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 30 min Yields: 2L

After nearly a decade, The People’s Potato is releasing Vegan On a Shoestring #2, a collective cookbook that features recipes and facts about vegan food and food politics, put together in a collaborative effort.

The People’s Potato, which is located in Concordia University’s Hall Building, is a completely vegan kitchen that serves up to 400 free or by donation meals each day. The first edition of Vegan on a Shoestring was released in 2002.

The goal of this is the same as the first one: eat better for cheaper. “A lot of times it can get expensive to try to eat healthy,” said Gabby Pedicelli, full-time collective member at The People’s Potato. “This just gives you shortcuts in ways of getting the most bang for your buck.”

Their newest book is a “much more tweaked version of the first one,” said Pedicelli. “There is more info about politics. We revamped a lot of the recipes.”

Pedicelli explained that the first book did not include elements such as portion or serving size, something that has been fixed in the new book.

Inside, readers will also find the history of The People’s Potato and learn about how the kitchen began. It includes a nutrition guide and offers information on what foods have the most protein and nutrients. There is also a section on cooking techniques and a list of measurement conversions.

The cookbook takes a look at food politics through an anti-capitalist lens. This means that not only is it important to be able to make good and healthy food that is affordable, but the book also expresses the importance of sourcing food as locally as possible. One suggestion offered is for individuals to buy products low on the food chain and prepare them at home rather than buying expensive vegan products.

Vegan on a Shoestring #2 is on sale at The People’s Potato kitchen for a $10 to $20 sliding scale.

You can also purchase the book at their launch party, which is taking place this Thursday February 3 at 6 p.m. at Bar Populaire, located at 6584 St-Laurent Boul. Small snacks made from recipes in the cookbook will be featured.

Ingredients: - 1 onion, diced - 2 cloves garlic, minced - 1 carrot, thinly sliced - 1 celery stalk, chopped in slices - 1 cabbage, shredded - 1/4 cup nutritional yeast - 2 tsp salt - 1 tsp pepper - 4 cups vegetable stock, or water - 1 bay leaf - 2 tbsp tarragon - 1 tbsp thyme - 3 tbsp vegetable oil - 1/2 cup soup noodles The People’s Potato serves 400 free vegan meals every day in H-733. Photos courtesy of The People’s Potato

Vegan on a Shoestring #2 is filled with vegan recipes by The People’s Potato cooks.

Directions: 1. In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil on medium heat. Sauté onions for 10 min or until translucent.

2. Add minced garlic and sauté for 20 seconds.

3. Add shredded cabbage, celery and carrots and cook for 5 min.

4. In a small mixing bowl add 1/2 cup vegetable stock and mix with the nutritional yeast to form a paste. Combine this mixture with the remaining 3.5 cups stock, add salt and pepper and stir well.

5. Add stock, bay leaf, tarragon, thyme and oil mixture to the pot with the vegetables 6. Simmer on medium heat for 10 min or until vegetables are cooked through.

7. Add noodles and cook for 5 more minutes or until noodles are ready.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

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Day Trip

Flickr

Jarry Park has an outdoor skating rink for those looking to kill a few hours one winter afternoon.

A day (and night) in Little Italy

As part of our new series Day Trip, the Life Section takes you inside one nearby neighbourhood for a few hours of food and fun Kalina Laframboise Contributor

For those craving to explore and eager to try something new in our diverse city, Little Italy is the place to be. This area of Montreal is charming, with a way of incorporating both the traditional and the modern that makes the neighbourhood extremely vibrant and full of life. Bordered by St. Zotique and Jean-Talon, Little Italy has the perfect mix of outdoors, restaurants and bars.

3 p.m. Jean-Talon Market With row after row of fresh food, the market offers plenty of choice in terms of price and produce. The colours and selection will keep even the most inattentive person strolling around for over an hour.

The market, which is home to various stores, caters to everyone. Whether you are in the mood for poutine, calamari or a crepe, you will easily find it here. The market’s diverse range helps build a good rapport for everyone, from those who have a simple taste to those with a refined palate, making it impossible to leave unhappy.

In addition to the great deals, the atmosphere screams Little Italy. The merchants are hospitable, helpful and even provide samples.

The market is unique and often considered less trendy than the Atwater Market. But with its prices, loyal customers, quality food and strong community ties, Jean-Talon seems like a superior choice.

With some good searching and maybe even some bargaining, anyone can buy healthy, tasty and filling food on a student’s budget.

7070 Henri Julien Ave. between JeanTalon Blvd. and Mozart Ave. Near JeanTalon and Del Castelneau metro stations.

4 p.m. Jarry Park Flickr Le Salon Miss Villeray is named for a legendary local woman. Perfect for pre-drinks.

With snacks you picked up from the JeanTalon Market, it is now time to make the 10 minute walk to Jarry Park.

Located in the heart of Little Italy, the park is a great break from the hectic city. Not only

is it huge, it also offers plenty of activities and facilities to the public during both the summer and winter months.

Once home to the Montreal Expos, the park’s stadium has since been converted to a professional tennis venue where the Rogers Cup was held last summer.

Until the snow melts, visitors can skate on the park’s public rink or play tennis in the Uniprix Stadium.

In the summer there are baseball, cricket and soccer fields, as well as basketball and outdoor tennis courts.

Jarry Park is bordered by Faillion and Jarry to the north. With St-Laurent to the east and train tracks to the west, this park is near Jarry and Del Castelneau metro stations.

6 p.m. Le Salon Miss Villeray As the sun sets, it is time to make your way out of the park and onto Villeray St where a five minute walk takes you to the perfect pre-dinner drinking location.

At the centre of a residential area, Le Salon Miss Villeray is a hidden gem for a bar so close to the clubbing scene of St-Laurent.

The bar is named after the legendary Miss Villeray, a popular woman from the neighbourhood following the Second World War who was said to have the power to inspire love.

Though the bar is rather quaint, it is far from quiet, with musical guests gracing the bar frequently and a reputation for special theme nights. Miss Villeray harmonizes the two very different worlds of clubs and bars with its classy but casual attire, dance and variety of music. Sticking true to its Italian roots, the atmosphere is loud but likable: because you can still hear the person next to you.

In terms of the menu, Miss Villeray has a variety of beer, wine, ciders, shots and cocktails available. However it is their two dozen cocktails that really stand out. with classics like cosmopolitans and Long Island ice tea as well as bar originals such as Miss Villeray and Scarlette Villeray, gin, Perrier and juice blends

garnished with fruit and served in a highball glass.

The bar also serves Italian entrées and pizzas, all for under $10.

220 Villeray St., a few blocks away from Jarry Street E.

7:30 p.m. Pizzeria Napoletana After a few cocktails, it is time to make the 15 minute walk over the Napoletana.

For those searching for the authentic Italian experience, Pizzeria Napoletana defines Italy through its incredible food and traditional layout. Furthermore, the restaurant is bring your own wine.

Located on the corner of Dante and De Gaspe, this restaurant has been around since 1948, after many Italian families settled nearby after Second World War. The restaurant is known for both its variety of pizzas and pastas as well as its decor. With dishes ranging from plain to gourmet, mild to spicy and vegetarian friendly to a meat lovers delight, the culinary experience at Pizzeria Napoletana truly embodies traditional Italia.

The experience is only made more authentic with their checkered table cloths, giant menus and ceiling decorated with vine leaves. Tables are placed close together, so not only could there be a dozen conversations taking place at once, but it is likely you will share a table with strangers.

With 34 different choices, the pizza and pasta menu is definitely impressive. They also offer salads, sausages and desserts. Plates run anywhere between $10 to $18 dollars but for a hearty, Italian meal that hits the spot, it is well worth it.

189 Dante St., at the corner of Gaspé Ave. Cash only, but there is an ATM in the restaurant.

Not in the mood to head home just yet?

Why not head on back to Miss Villeray or for a romantic walk in Jarry Park.

Flickr

Pizzeria Napoletana offers 39 varieties of Pizza between $9.50 and $17.50.

Flickr

Jean-Talon Market is open all-year long and has a large selection of fruits, vegetables and prepared foods.

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theconcordian

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

healTh

Graphics by Katie Brioux

Entertainment or encouragement?

Pro-anorexia websites tell people thinner is better Meagan Gillmore The Sputnik (Wilfrid Laurier UniversityBrantford) BRANTFORD, Ont. (CUP) — Ana wants to be your friend. She makes great promises: She will make you feel good and she will give you peace. She will introduce you to her other friends, and she has many. You may recognize some of their names. They’re important people, she says, famous, well known, well liked.

But not everyone likes Ana. They say she is dangerous — a thief, a murderer even.

Typing “pro-ana,” short for “pro-anorexia,” into Google results in 8,550,000 hits — the spelling matters. Many of these sites treat anorexia not as a mental illness with several different causes, but as an actual friend.

Similarly, bulimia becomes Mia. But this is not, necessarily, a unified cause. The term can have several different meanings. Pro-anorexia websites provide users with information about anorexia, and not just medical information, although some do.

Some claim to offer support. They also provide tips about how one can become, and stay, anorexic.

“Eat a piece of fruit — such as a slice of apple or banana each morning,” one site advises. According to the author, this prevents dizziness and fainting. But if that one slice of fruit isn’t enough, visitors can “just eat one piece of fruit [later in the day]. Otherwise, don’t eat anything.”

Just a few mouse clicks away, users are reminded this website’s purpose is entertainment, and they should seek medical help if

they have an eating disorder.

Another site more generously encourages individuals to eat a whole fruit a day. But only after they’ve cut it into portions, eating them at mealtimes so the body thinks it’s had numerous meals.

Many include photos, mostly of celebrities, to act as “thinspirations” — motivations to help lose weight. And then there are the slogans: “Ask me to show you perfect and I will show you a thin person. Starving is an example of excellent willpower,” reads the site that permits one to eat a whole fruit daily. A few lines later, “An imperfect body reflects an imperfect person.”

These pages may be easily dismissed if they were simply collages of celebrity photos and individual tips. But they become communities. Many provide places where people discuss their eating disorders. In some cases, the sites claim these forums support recovery. Others say they aim simply to support individuals with eating disorders, seeking recovery or not. Many see eating disorders not as a mental illness, although they may provide personal details of their own experiences with such illnesses. Instead they see it as a lifestyle choice.

As Angela Ross, a former user of these sites from New Mexico who currently lives in North Carolina, put it in an email, “People essentially give their lives for anorexia.”

And now she and others are giving their lives to preventing the disease. Sharon Hodgson, an artist from Nova Scotia, used pro-ana sites as a tool to lose weight, and learn “secret, hidden knowledge.” The tips worked.

“You can learn a lot of negative things to do to yourself,” she said in a phone interview.

Hodgson used several sites, and was a moderator on different groups. She met individuals who would become well known for running pro-ana sites. She made friends and became aware that these people she cared about were “believing such terrible things

about themselves that I knew wasn’t true.”

Hodgson, who had a predisposition to eating disorders from a young age, eventually left the sites. She’s never returned. In May 2006, she started We Bite Back, a website devoted to helping individuals recover from anorexia and other eating disorders. For her, starting the site was a way to recover, and provide a “network where people are going to encourage each other.”

Since then, the site has grown to over 4,000 members from 80 countries. Beyond the forum — Hodgson says about 600 computers log onto the site a day, some staying for several hours — it also holds essays about recovery and links to several other sites.

Hodgson believes communities like We Bite Back are crucial for helping people recover. She funds the website entirely on her own, though some members occasionally donate.

But it’s that power of community that makes pro-ana sites so dangerous, and hard to control or monitor. The sites encourage a

group mentality that already reinforces what those with eating disorders may already believe to be true, continuing a vicious cycle.

Many find homes on free third-party sites, like Facebook or Livejournal. Several pro-ana sites and blogs have been shut down.

But, because as Hodgson notes, these sites are “network[s] based on people,” and will just pop up again, with new names but the same message that thinner is better.

While eating disorders aren’t new, the Internet provides new ways of encouraging the behaviour — and recovery. Ross, now 21, was 14 when she first typed “anorexia” into a Google search bar. The first site that came up was pro-ana.

Ross wanted to lose as much weight as possible in the shortest amount of time. The sites helped. She became “immersed.” And eventually, she grew to hate the sites.

In November 2006, she started a Facebook group to encourage those recovering from eating disorders, and to raise awareness about the sites. It now boasts over 4,000 members.

Ross sees pro-ana sites as “a new generation’s version of anorexia.” And while eating disorders pre-date the Internet, the medium makes it appear different. Not only are there pictures like those in fashion magazines, there are step-by-step tutorials outlining how to look like the models.

And many websites, unlike magazines, aren’t explicitly selling anything. The creators actually want people to look like the models because they believe it’s good.

As Sonya Lipczynska, a librarian at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, noted in the Journal of Mental Health, “What is clear is that the Internet ... has allowed a new subculture of eating disorders to develop, with its own rules and creeds, its very own deities and language, which allows devotees to disguise their conversations about their disorders and perhaps feel part of a community which fully embraces them and their choices.”

Regardless of the medium, the basic lie — that one must look good to be valuable — remains the same, as does the solution.

“If you believe that you can recover, your brain will make a way for it to happen,” said Hodgson. “If you believe you can’t change, your brain won’t bother.”

And to do that, one needs real support — whether online or in person. But just not with Ana.

11

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com acTiviTies

Bundling up for some winter fun A few outdoor activities to keep you busy as the temperature drops Aalia Adam Contributor

Last chance: Fete des Neiges at Parc Jean-Drapeau There is only one weekend left so make sure to go celebrate winter’s frosty delights at the biggest outdoor festival in Montreal.

Activities include: tube sliding, ice skating, outdoor shows and lots more.

Feb. 5 and 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Located at Île Sainte-Hélène at Parc JeanDrapeau, admission is free.

Coming up: Montreal High Lights Festival en Lumière 2011 Now that Igloofest is over, Montrealers need to look forward to something else that can keep us warm on weekends. This year the High Lights Festival runs just in time for Concordia’s Reading Week. From Feb. 17 to 27 at Place Jacques-Cartier, visitors can enjoy live music, art and light shows. Best of all, the festival ends with the much-anticipated Nuit Blanche, an all-nighter filled with music, culture, food and after hours metro service.

All winter:

Night skiing and snowboarding at Bromont

Skating on the Quays in Old Port Montreal This outdoor skating rink in the heart of the Old Port is a great spot to show off your skills. It is open everyday of the week with a variety of music genres. Between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. the rink plays host to Classic Mondays, World beat Tuesdays, Alternative Rock Wednesdays, Rock ‘n’ Roll Thursdays, Retro Fridays (‘80s and ‘90s), Rhythm Saturdays and Francophone Sundays.

Though open during the day, the fun really begins once the sun goes down (which, during Montreal winters, is not very late).

Bromont has more than 75 trails illuminated every night and boasts that

it is the largest lit skiable terrain in North America. It is the perfect place to ski under the stars and avoid large weekend crowds.

Every second Saturday is Nuit Blanche, where the hill stays open until 2 a.m.

Student lift tickets cost $27 from 8 p.m. to closing.

Admission is $6 excluding skate rentals.

Open from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Mondays through Wednesdays, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursdays through Sundays.

Mont-Royal Tubing: forget waterslides, the icy slopes on Mont Royal are the perfect place to slip and slide on magic carpets, toboggans and snow tubes.

Inner tube rentals are $8 for adults [12 and older].

Skis and snowshoes: The chalet also rents out cross-country skis and snowshoes that you can take out on the mountain’s numerous trails.

Cross-country skis will cost you $10 for one hour or $15 for 3 hours.

Snowshoes are a little cheaper at $8 for one hour and $13 for 3 hours.

Skates: Mont-Royal completes their winter activities package with an outdoor skating rink.

To rent, it is $8 for two hours.

Note: All rentals require a photo ID

Find one of Montreal’s many outdoor skating rinks at ville.montreal.qc.ca. Photo by Matias Garabedian

Visit www.montrealenlumiere.com for more information and this year’s schedule.

Flickr

Bring a thermos full of hot chocolate and rent an inner tube at Mount Royal’s Beaver Lake.

3 very important questions that you should ask yourself before you dine out...

1. Do I spend too much money on dreadful food?

2. Do I tolerate mundane decor and lacklustre ambience?

3. Do I often regret ordering dessert, because it was NOT worth the caloric intake?

If you answered “YES” to any one of these questions, don’t waste another penny, another calorie or another minute...

At cafe thEATre, there are no such questions!!!!

At very REASONABLE PRICES , you might like to try...

Fried Lemon Custard Toblerone Hot Chocolate

Gourmet Soups & Innovative Salads Hot ‘n Bubbly Mac & Cheese Grilled sandwiches Gingerbread French Toast

Old Fashioned Cocktails & much more...

The atmosphere and vibe will keep you coming back too! cafe

Flickr

Take advantage of Mount Royal’s 18 km of cross country ski trails.

1832 Ste. Catherine St. W (between St. Matthieu & St. Marc)

cafetheatre.biz

arts 12

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Write to the editor: arts@theconcordian.com

THEATRE

Exploring the human experience Tableau D’Hôte’s Humans shows what Canadians have in common

Stephanie Mercier Voyer Staff writer Humans spans 15 different, varied storylines, but musical director Dumisizwe Vuyo Bhembe can sum up the latest Tableau D’Hôte production in 12 words: “It’s all about the human experience: the crazy, the sad, the beautiful.”

Humans is a collection of stories written by Daniel MacIvor for his 1994 one-man show House. “These were 15 short stories that he did not use inside his one-man show,” said director Liz Valdez. “He just added it at the end, and he called it Humans.”

Valdez came across Humans while studying theatre at Concordia University and immediately fell in love with MacIvor’s stories. She then turned the 15 one-page stories into an hour-anda-half-long play. “I did this 15 years ago,” said Valdez. “In my final year I took these 15 stories, took students and created a piece.”

The stories don’t have any physical link, as they take place in cities all over Canada. Valdez, however, tied the stories together around the human spirit. “All the characters and all the stories start off in one place, hit something, do something that changes them forever,” she said.

“Then we leave them in that suspension of ‘What happens next?’” The play only shows a glimpse of those people’s lives. “It’s about letting your

mind continue the story,” explained Bhembe.

Ever since Valdez’s first experience with Humans, the desire to have the chance to work on it one more time has stayed with her. “I have been mentioning it over and over again,” she said. “How I would love to do Humans now that I have more experience and now that I am older and understand the stories even more.”

The stories were confined to Valdez’s head for years until Tableau d’Hôte gave the director a chance to set them free. “Tableau d’Hôte, whom I have a long relationship with, finally decided to approach me,” she said. “[They said] ‘Well, that show that you’ve been talking about so much, how would you feel about putting it on?’” said Valdez.

The Concordia alumna was thrilled. It was everything she had wished for since she first presented Humans. She would finally get a budget, have time to put on the play and would be able to work with seasoned actors. However, things did not go according to her plans. “Because of the arts not being funded as much as we would like, we have had to do it in one month,” she said.

That left Valdez and her team a very short time to put on a show that includes costumes, live music, projections and choreography. “It’s been quite a journey,” she said, “but quite stimulating.”

Despite all the difficulties, Valdez’s team did manage to successfully pull through. “It is impossible to have had the process we have had without the team we ended up with,” said Valdez.

According to Valdez, the choreography by Véronique Gaudreau is probably the biggest challenge for the actors. “Their bodies are taking a beating, they are not dancers,” she shared.

The dance becomes part of the characters. “[We are] trying to find the visceral movement of the character, basically the emotion, the gut of what they were going through,” said Valdez of the

choreography.

The team has tried to create the same effect with the music. During rehearsals, Bhembe is there to perform live music and make the actors react to what he is playing. The music is not simply in the background anymore; the actors and

audience experience it fully. “You know music, it hits you viscerally,” said Valdez. “[It] is what I want these stories to do.”

Humans will be presented Feb. 5-13 at The Segal Centre for Performing Arts. For more information, check out tableaudhotetheatre.com

CINEMA POLITICA

How does your money work?

Director Erwin Wagenhofer looks under the skirt of the world wide financial market, and it isn’t pretty.

Corey Pool Staff writer Let’s Make Money exposes the economic exploitation of developing countries by wealthy western investors, and delves into the intricate inner workings of a corrupt, unbalanced, constantly evolving and ever more confusing worldwide financial market.

In an interview on the film’s website, Erwin Wagenhofer claims that even though most of the film doesn’t affect viewers in the West personally, everyone in the world still has a stake in the world economy and should therefore be concerned about it.

The film explores many questions: How does your pension fund directly affect investments in Singapore? How much of the money you donate to Africa even gets to Africa, and how much of it stays there? How did the World Bank help bring about the war in Iraq?

The documentary opens with the observation that “most of us do not know where our money is, [however] this does not even interest us because we trustingly follow the siren call of the banks: Let your money work!” It is this concept that Wagenhofer

sets out to rectify. According to the interview on Let’s Make Money’s website, Wagenhofer wanted to explore simple questions; there has never been as much money circulating through the world as there is now, but where is it, and where is it going?

Wagenhofer’s film begins in the mines of Ghana, in West Africa, where cheap labour and powerful explosives are used to extract gold, which is then smelted and sent to Switzerland. The earnings are then divided, with only three per cent going back to Africa.

“It is estimated that for every dollar of aid that goes into Africa, at least 10 go out under the table,” explains John Christensen in the film, a developmental economist and economic advisor to the government of Jersey, a British Crown Dependency off the shores of Normandy, France. The documentary claims that Jersey is one of many infamous offshore tax havens.

Wagenhofer travels through the streets of Chennai, India, where the economy has been hijacked and corrupted by foreign investors, plunging the citizenry into a vicious cycle of debt and poverty.

“I don’t think investors should be responsible for the ethics, or pollution, or whatever, of the company in which he is investing. That is not his job,” explains Mark Mobius in the film. Mobius is the president of Templeton Emerging Markets, one of the largest global emerging markets investment trusts. “Growth is what we are all about,” says Mobius.

We are taken to the Sahel in Burkina Faso, where vast plots of land have been destroyed, totally eroded and dried out due to the cotton monoculture. Where there is work left, women and children work long hours picking

Workers pick whatever cotton is left in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso. cotton for less than 50 euros a year.

“There is a famous saying,” explains Mobius in the film while driving through Singapore. “The best time to buy is when there is blood in the streets.”

The documentary uses strong cinematic imagery of harsh industrial landscapes and long silent shots of workers’ hands performing repetitive and menial tasks in tucked-away factories. It contrasts the beaches of Singapore, dotted with the homeless asleep under sheets in the sand, and the slums of India

against the regal infrastructure and luxurious untouched golf courses in the deserts of Spain.

Let’s Make Money is shocking, at times confusing, but an ever-insightful look into the way our money runs through the veins of a strange global financial market that involves many, but benefits a very few.

Let’s Make Money plays at Cinema Politica on Feb. 8. For more information, check out cinemapolitica.org

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

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FILM

Kevin Smith to self-distribute his newest project Montreal filmmaker says Smith’s decision is a game changer Mel Lefebvre Contributor Let’s say you’re a Canadian or American film student who wants to make movies. You’ll graduate, start out as an independent filmmaker and live off Ramen noodles for a few years while you scramble for funds to make your dreams come true.

Hopefully, the day will finally come when a distribution company offers to buy your film and sell it to theatres. The film’s release is preceded by millions more dollars pumped into marketing and advertising, usually to the tune of about 15 times the amount of money it took to make the film. You’re then faced with a grim reality: only about 10 per cent of all short films make their money back, according to Adam Reider, a Montreal filmmaker and CEO of Rail Media, a local production company.

This spiraling process for independent filmmakers might change after producer/director/ actor Kevin Smith announced at the Sundance Film Festival last week that he will be selfdistributing his new film Red State. He’ll be touring his movie one venue at a time, giving Q&As, and distributing goodies - not unlike a touring rock band.

Smith is the creator of the 1990s cult classics Clerks and Chasing Amy, the producer of Zack and Miri Make a Porno and the co-producer of Good Will Hunting. He’s been both supported and attacked for reinstating the way

films were screened in the olden days, back when Gone with the Wind was the big ticket and only three copies of the film existed.

Today, films are played nationwide to partially filled theatres.

According to Reider, if Smith’s model is successful, the playing field will be leveled between blockbusters and indie films. “I think that only someone with Kevin Smith’s fame could bring this model back into our current market,” he said.

Reider is optimistic and sees enormous

Graphic by Katie Brioux potential for independent filmmakers to start making real money, but that won’t happen overnight. Independent filmmakers still have to think of a business model and plan out their finances. But, as Reider explains, people like himself will at least have the option to self-tour rather than wait to be picked up by a distributor. Moreover, indie filmmakers are likely to charge more for their films than we’re used to paying, as Smith made clear during his Sundance announcement.

“People will pay around $50 to see his film,

and every theatre will be sold out because he’s so famous. More theatres will start showing films this way, and because it’s financially feasible for indie filmmakers to use this model, everybody can start booking tours for their movies. It will turn into an open playing field – the possibilities are amazing,” Reider said, bubbling over with excitement at the idea.

The financial opportunities are bolstered because the distributors, i.e., the middle men, are essentially cut out of the equation. That business model, Reider explained, has put Smith at the receiving end of some backlash from critics. “Big studios will get very alarmed if they can’t make money off this. They could screw around to make it even harder for independent filmmakers to be successful. They’re not against independent films; they’re against not making money,” said Reider.

Smith has been tweeting about this, too. On Friday morning, he wrote, “This isn’t about ‘Let’s take on the bastards!’ This is about trying to release a movie without spending on marketing. It’s just about finding an alternate, not the ultimate answer.”

Reider doesn’t like Smith’s films, but he is a fan of how Smith does business. “He wants to help filmmakers more talented than him to make movies and actually get them in the theatres,” he said. He foresees significant changes in the system within the next five years, and hopes Smith’s model will take off.

“It’s a business, and whatever your art is, it’s not only OK to make money, it’s a necessity,” he said.

Red State will be screened regularly in theatres in October after the tour has ended.

To learn about student discounts at Rail City Media, visit www.railcitymedia.com.

VISUAL ARTS

An art gallery in your mailbox Papirmasse is back for round two Elizabeth Tomaras Contributor After a year-long hiatus, monthly art magazine and supplier Papirmasse has returned with a reinvigorated subscription model.

The sabbatical allowed founder Kirsten McCrea to explore new options for the venture, notably through a partnership with Ric Kasini Kadour and Christopher Byrne of Maison Kasini, the gallery where Papirmasse now operates.

“We had Kirsten put some folios together and immediately asked if we could partner up,” Kadour explained.“We told her we could provide some infrastructure and support, as well as a physical home for the project. I hope that by working together we can merge our strengths and ultimately help Papirmasse grow.” The collaboration has allowed McCrea to continue to wage her “war against blank walls.”

McCrea began Papirmasse in late 2008. An avid fan of contemporary art but not its price tag, McCrea would send subscribers prints made using digital or offset lithography for $5 a month. She also noted that art galleries can be intimidating for certain people, so she wanted to eliminate that feeling of uneasiness by sending art directly to people’s homes.

What makes Papirmasse stand out from the crowd is that it is simply affordable art. Not only is a unique piece sent to the subscribers, but poetry, essays, short stories and other written content are included on the back of the print.

In its early stages, Papirmasse lacked artist participation, so the 2008 Concordia fine arts graduate used some of her own pieces. This year, McCrea expects not only a wide variety of artists to contribute but also an assortment

Examples from the 2009 photo print set. This month, Papirmasse will feature a collage by Jp King.

in the type of work featured. “We are now using a different artist every month. I’m really excited for the range of talented people we are going to be working with,” she said.

Now that it has the means to include 12 different artists in the 2011 subscription, Papirmasse has been able to shift its focus from making contemporary art accessible to helping local artists. “Getting art out into the world and to stop income from being such an impediment towards art ownership is what Papirmasse is all about, but we also offer a lot of really great exposure to Montreal artists,” McCrea said. She tries to publish artists’ works in the same month they are having an event in the city.

As opposed to 2009, when prints would range from smaller accordion folded booklets

to larger double sided posters, this year, Papirmasse subscribers will receive a manila envelope that contains the print. This month’s print will be a collage by local artist Jp King. The backside features a story from his forthcoming novella, Cookie Crumbs Lead to Ovens.

Low prices were a selling point for Papirmasse from the start, but since its return they have dropped even further. “It used to be $5 a month plus the cost of shipping but now it is $5, which includes the price of shipping,” said McCrea.

This year, subscribers are in for a treat as McCrea noted that they are “not looking to have a flat print every month but a few things that push the boundaries a little.” McCrea will also ask the artists to create a fine art version

of their work which will be on display in Papirmasse’s touring exhibitions and also be available in the gallery.

With the help of Maison Kasini, McCrea hopes to find “people who are pursuing art, who are exhibiting regularly and artists who, even though are still emerging, are serious about what they are doing. Art is cheap, art is for everyone. Do not be afraid to engage with it.”

Papirmasse is located in the Belgo building, 372 Ste. Catherine St. West, Suite 408.

They will produce special 1$ issues for Nuit Blanche on Feb. 26. For more information, visit www.papirmasse.com/art.

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theconcordian

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

PERFORMANCE ART

Concordia grad wins Gloria MitchellAleong Award Multi-talented Jason Selman recognized

by Black Theatre Workshop Amanda Dafniotis Staff writer Jason Selman is not your average artist.

Already established as a jack-of-all-trades performance artist in Montreal’s black community, Selman has been announced as this year’s recipient of the Gloria Mitchell-Aleong Award, allowing him to share his artistry with even more people.

The Gloria Mitchell-Aleong Award recognizes young emerging Montreal artists between the ages of 20 and 35. This year, Jason Selman was recognized for his commitment and talent in the performing arts.

Selman has been a well-respected poet and musician in the Montreal arts scene for over 10 years now. “For me, it comes down to being raised in a way that identity and community matter,” said Selman. The humble performance artist explained that his desire to give back to his community came naturally, though he credits the Black Theatre Workshop for fueling his passion. “Artistically, the work began with doing poetry workshops for youth at Black Theatre Workshop and then working full time at the Black Community Resource Centre,” stated Selman.

One of the projects that he is involved with is Kalmunity, a performance group that promotes improvisation through various mediums. “The founder, Jah Sun, asked me whether I would be involved with a new weekly improv music night, and of course, I said yes,” said Selman. “I had no idea that it would become as wonderful and all encompassing as it has.”

Since 2003, Selman has also run poetry workshops for the Black Theatre Workshop’s YouthWorks, a multidisciplinary theatre program for black youth. In addition to theatre performance and poetry, the program also promotes singing and dancing.

Selman has produced two plays: Death of the Bourgeois Dream in 2006, which was

performed by the members of YouthWorks; and Birth of the last Black Prince in 2008. Selman can also add being a published author to his list of accomplishments; he released two poetry collection, Psychological (2003) and The Freedom I Stole (2007). He also co-edited Talking Book, an anthology featuring the writings of the participants of Kalmunity. Selman is the producer of the poetry, music and song series Intimate Sky, which features members of Montreal’s jazz and blues community.

Selman is also involved in hip hop group Nomadic Massive.

Selman graduated from Concordia University with a BFA in jazz studies. “Concordia gave me certainty, a chance to try things out,” explained Selman. “Before I did my degree in music, I did two years in engineering before switching out.”

“

The recognition that stands out for me is the appreciation of my artistic peers and thank yous from the audience.

Jason Selman

The news of Selman’s win comes right at the beginning of Black History Month, and the award is clearly celebrated by his community. “The recognition that stands out for me is the appreciation of my artistic peers and thank yous from the audience,” said Selman.

“To win an award is something new and it feels great.”

According to Selman, Black History Month is a time of celebration for all. “I would say that it’s a great opportunity to learn, because most of us have a very limited knowledge of Africa, blacks in the Americas or anywhere else,” explained Selman. “There is always more to learn about black history in February or any time of year.”

Jason Selman has done everything from writing poetry to leading workshops.

The

Blues

Brothers Daniel Spinali Staff writer

I must admit, when it comes to certain actors, I have a bias. I have a hard time steering myself away from movies starring Paul Giamatti, Jeff Bridges or Meryl Streep. Thankfully, they are still around to make movies for me to love, but this is not the case for my all-time favourite actor, John Belushi. Had he not died from a drug overdose in 1982, Belushi would have celebrated his 62nd birthday last week, so I felt that the best way to honour his memory was to cover the film that is John Belushi in a nutshell: The Blues Brothers.

The movie starts at Joliet Prison, outside of Chicago, Ill. Jake Blues (Belushi) has spent the last three years in prison for armed rob-

bery and is being released two years early for good behaviour. Waiting for him on the outside is his brother Elwood (Aykroyd), who, much to the dismay of Jake, has shown up in a former cop car. He finds out Elwood has traded their old car, a Cadillac nicknamed the Bluesmobile, for a microphone, which Jake deems a fair trade.

Elwood brings him to visit the Penguin, otherwise known as Sister Mary Stigmata, the nun in charge of the orphanage where they grew up. She informs the brothers that the orphanage owes $5,000 in back taxes and will be shut down if they do not pay within 11 days. The Penguin no longer wants them to bring her dirty money, as they had done in the past, so they must figure out a way to save their childhood home - legally.

Curtis, the orphanage janitor who intro-

Blues Brothers, a classic film for all music lovers. duced the brothers to the blues, instructs them to go to church in order to find inspiration. The Evangelical church they visit is full of music. Midway through the sermon, Jake is overcome by the music and decides - as light from a stained glass window shines down onto him and him alone - they should reform their blues band and play gigs in order to save the orphanage. From that point on, they are, as Elwood repeatedly puts it, on a mission from God. This movie is a tribute to an often misun-

Photo via bluesbrothers gallery

derstood musical genre, with songs played by some of the greatest blues and soul musicians that ever lived. If you don’t like the blues, this movie will change your mind.

The Blues Brothers. Directed by John Landis, 1980. Starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. With appearances by Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Ray Charles.

music

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

15

Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com Profile

Julie Doiron has charm and talent East Coast singersongwriter is still writing songs, but will be touring less in the near future

I wonder how much their fanbases overlap?

Montreal-born renaissance man William Shatner, Black Label Society and Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde are currently working in a studio together. The unlikely pair are recording tracks for Shatner’s upcoming album, Seeking Major Tom. “Zakk is one of the great guitarists who played with Ozzy Osbourne. A master playing a cover of “Iron Man.” He’s fantastic!

I’m energized,” tweeted the former starship captain last week. The album is slated to be a collection of rock covers. Though the track list has not been revealed, it is reported that both Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” will be among the songs covered. The release date is scheduled for sometime later this year.

Katelyn Spidle Music editor Julie Doiron has spent the majority of her 17-year career on the road. Having drifted between the more rural landscapes of Moncton and Sackville, N.B., to the hustle and bustle of big cities like Toronto and Montreal, Doiron never stays put for very long. “I think if I were a single person it would be amazing,” said Doiron of her nomadic lifestyle. “I love traveling and playing every day, but I really would like to be home more. Unfortunately this is my job, and if I’m not on the road I can’t pay anything, so I’m constantly going back on the road to pay my bills. Right now I’m homeless, I just sort of couch surf,” she admitted.

Ironically, Doiron is quite the homebody.

Currently on a small tour along the East Coast, she admits that the shows have been “awesome,” but her heart seems to be pulling her back to Toronto, where her ex-husband and three children currently reside. The pull has been so strong, in fact, that when she spoke with the Concordian, she hinted at wanting to make some major lifestyle changes that would allow her to become more settled.

“

The man’s got a heart of gold Canadian rock icon Neil Young is set to be honoured with the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award at the 40th annual Juno Awards in Toronto. The award goes to “a Canadian artist whose humanitarian contributions have positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada.”

“As a driving force behind one of music’s most successful fundraising events, Farm Aid, and a key participant in Live 8 right here at home, his tenacity and spirit is highly regarded among his peers, and serves as an inspiration to all of us,” said Juno CEO Melanie Berry in a news release.

Young has been integral in such philanthropic endeavors as The Bridge School, Farm Aid and the 1985 charity single “Tears are not Enough.”

Past recipients of the award include Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan and Bruce Cockburn.

When great music comes out of a collaboration it’s a really special thing.

They could use somebody… maybe a PR rep?

Julie Doiron

“This tour has been perfect because it’s just a week and a half away from home, so that’s nothing,” she said. “I would gladly do all kinds of little trips like this.” But in the future, “I wouldn’t do the ones that are very long and that take me away from home for a long time.”

Of course, these statements could be interpreted as foreshadowing the end of her music career, but fortunately, Doiron has no such intentions. “I’m not going to quit music, but I would like to be really selective and wise about what kind of shows I say yes to from now on,” she warned.

Her last solo album, I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day, came out in 2009, but a new record is projected to be released sometime in 2012.

“I’m still trying to figure out what kind of music I want to make in the future,” Doiron said, adding that she has written nine or 10 new songs in the past year that are ready for recording. However she won’t be thinking about going into the studio until May, when she has some time off. “I want to take some time to do some different things on this next record,” she hinted. “Right now I’m at a point

Julie Doiron wishes to spend less time on the road. Photo courtesy of Killbeat Music where I’m actually consciously trying to write more songs - a lot of the ones I wrote in the past year I really like, but I’m felling like I need to write a few more. I’m [also] finding that I’m not quite sure what to write about.”

Having released upwards of 15 albums in the form of either collaborative projects or solo efforts, Doiron seems to be able to churn out songs like it’s second nature. In reality, though, “It’s not always that easy,” she assured with a hearty chuckle. “It’s really hard to talk about songwriting.” Overall, though, “I have three different ways of songwriting,” she continued. “I either write a bunch of lyrics [over the course of] a few months and then sit down and put them to music, or I come up with a melody and a lyric that I’ll sing over and over until I have time to sit down with a guitar. Or, I’ll sit down with a guitar and happen to, if I’m lucky, write a whole song at once: lyrics, melody and music.”

Doiron is a master collaborator of sorts, having toured and recorded with a multitude of well-respected artists like Gordon Downie

of The Tragically Hip and France’s Herman Düne. “As a musician, all of the collaborations that I have been a part of have really made me grow on so many levels,” she confided.

“I think collaborating is a huge learning tool it’s so important to develop relationships with other musicians.”

But what makes Doiron such a soughtafter collaborator? “I think it’s my charm,” she joked. “I’m pretty easy to be around when it comes to making music. I’m really open to doing a lot of things [and] I don’t demand for things to be perfect.” A successful solo artist in her own right, Doiron admits that if it weren’t for her collaborations, she doubts that she would have continued making music for as long as she has. “It’s fulfilling because making music with people is very intimate,” she said. “When great music comes out of a collaboration it’s a really special thing.”

Julie Doiron will play with Adam & the Amethysts at Il Motore on Feb. 5.

Kings of Leon and Glee creator Ryan Murphy were duking it out through the media all last week after Murphy, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, harshly criticized the band for not allowing the use of their song “Use Somebody” on the show last year. Hours after the story hit the web, Leon drummer Nathan Followill tweeted: “Dear Ryan Murphy, let it go. See a therapist, get a manicure, buy a new bra. Zip your lip and focus on educating 7yr olds how to say fuck.” In a statement to THR, frontman Caleb Followill tried to clear the air: “This was never meant as a slap in the face to Glee or to music education or to fans of the show. We’re not sure where the anger is coming from. We just said no to a licence for a TV show, which we do a lot.”

Alice Cooper urges Plant to get the Led out Legendary shock rocker Alice Cooper is urging former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant to return to his rock ’n’ roll roots with his Zeppelin bandmates. Plant explained his refusal to do so by saying he is too old to play rock songs and would rather focus on other projects such as his Band of Joy folk band. Cooper couldn’t help but voice his bemusement at the whole affair: “Jimmy Page wants to do it. John Paul Jones wants to do it. And they got Bonham’s son, who is a killer drummer. All they need is Robert Plant. But what is Robert Plant out there doing? Playing folk music! What is he doing?”

16

theconcordian

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

interview

Mike Palm: the man who started it all Original surf-punk band Agent Orange is still rockin’ out after three decades

Mike Palm (right) is the only remaining original member of Agent Orange who formed in 1979. Photo by Brian Kasnyik

Katelyn Spidle Music editor

surf-punk band. Did you guys know that you were onto something when you first started making music?

These days, it’s more common to see one or two dashes between musical adjectives, whether it’s “electro-funk,” “pop-rock” or any one of the seemingly endless combinations of genres used to describe a band’s sound. But in the mid ‘70s, a genre emerged out of the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia that was completely new. It had its own sound, speed, scene and attitude. It was called punk.

Of course, punk wasn’t left alone for very long. It soon diversified into a multitude of subgenres that, being innovative not only at the time, have spread their influence across generations.

One of the first bands to create their own brand of punk was Agent Orange. Hailing from Orange County and traveling two or three hours by bus just to get to the beach, the original trio blended California surf music with punk. The resulting surf-punk combo was something that was previously unheard of, and within a few years Agent Orange hit it big.

In the 32 years since the band first started, Agent Orange has seen some drastic lineup changes. But with 13 North American dates approaching and a new single that came out last October, they’re still going strong. The only remaining original member, singer/guitarist Mike Palm, candidly discussed with the Concordian his musical roots, skateboarding and the current state of punk rock.

I wasn’t searching around for my sound or anything like that, it’s something that I grew up with. In many ways it’s something that I look at as being the sound of my hometown. Surf music was invented in southern California. If you grew up in Ireland then you would be into Celtic music. It’s something that you lived, and it was carried on by your relatives.

The Concordian: When you play shows now, are there mainly new fans in the audience or do you see a lot of diehards too?

Mike Palm: That’s the great thing about being around as long as we’ve been around.

We have a core following and some of them come out of the woodwork for our shows, but there’s always an influx of new fans. We appeal to a broad range of people: the skaters, the punks and the college students. It’s a good mix of everything.

Agent Orange is known as being the original

So it’s a cultural thing.

Yeah, that’s the way I see it. Maybe if I grew up in Chicago I’d be a blues guitarist, or New Orleans, I’d be playing jazz. Surf music was something that, musically, suits the lifestyle [of] hanging out at the beach. And punk rock infused the energy into it. [Surf] didn’t have the attitude until punk really exploded. It couldn’t have been a better melding of musical styles as far as I was concerned.

In the early days of surf music, most of those players were very young and inexperienced. It was more a matter of going after a sound and a feel. You didn’t have to be a virtuoso player; you could just pick up a guitar and do it. It was easy to do and it really fed off of the energy more than anything.

How did skateboarding factor into punk culture back in the early ‘80s?

For starters, punks were all poor. Skateboards were the cheapest form of transportation you could own. Everybody had a [skate] board and since we were from southern California there were plenty of empty swimming pools.

It just doesn’t work listening to Barry Manilow and skating a half pipe. You have to have something that has some life to it — some energy — and punk rock fit the bill so perfectly.

It couldn’t have been a better match.

You guys emerged right around the time that the hardcore punk scene began to develop in Orange County, but you didn’t want to associate with that scene, right?

We were probably one of the only bands that were vocally opposed to being pigeonholed into the hardcore scene. What really happened is that a writer in L.A. wrote a story about punk rock in the Los Angeles Times, and because of that article, all the punk bands were banned from any significant clubs in the area.

Unfortunately, we got lumped in with all the others. Even though these other bands were having riots and causing all sorts of trouble by starting fights with the police, that really wasn’t our intention. We just wanted to have fun; we weren’t out to cause trouble. So to be excluded from all these clubs that we had worked so hard to build up a reputation to be able to play at was very frustrating. For about a year there, we weren’t really able to do anything in Los Angeles. We reverted back to playing small clubs in Orange County and things like that. So being connected to that scene was a detriment for us for at least a year.

We were vocal because we wanted to be out there; we wanted to be playing these clubs and we wanted to be in front of bigger and bigger audiences all the time. But other than that, our everyday existence was pure O.C. punk. We were hanging out; we were part of the scene every day. But the press portrayed punk as this nasty evil thing that should be banned.

Do you think that punk’s dead?

Oh, far from it. There was a time when punk was completely misunderstood and feared by most people, which was really fear of the unknown. Most punks are pretty cool and non-violent. But the shock value aspect was all for the fun of it. And it scared everybody. So in the early days it was a dangerous thing. You didn’t know what was going to happen when you walked down the street wearing a leather jacket and spiked hair; you didn’t know what you were going to come up against.

It was an interesting time, but those times are pretty much over now. It’s understood well enough now - at least people understand what the concept is. It’s lost its danger.

But we like to see what’s out there in between the big cities. We like to play out-ofthe-way places because, more likely than not,

there’s a little scene out there in the middle of nowhere that no one knows about and nobody stops to check it out. So if we have the opportunity to play a small town, we get to see what their punk scene is like. That’s a great thing.

There are punks everywhere. I think with the passage of time, and obviously media [exposure], people have gotten a lot more clued-in to what it’s all about. Now, it doesn’t really matter where we are. We actually just played in Juneau [Alaska] for the first time. Juneau’s an interesting place because you can only arrive there by airplane or boat. And guess what?

There are punks there! It’s the greatest thing to see. Punk is so far from being dead. It’s so alive in every little nook and cranny of the world.

What has kept Agent Orange alive after all these years, seeing as so many punk bands from that era have split?

Early on in the band, we had membership changes and different things: management problems, label problems ... it really hasn’t been a very easy road. I’m not going to let any of these things, whether they’re little things or even the major things, get the best of the band.

I believe in it, and I believe in it enough to not give up so easily.

I think that part of it is that I was always disappointed when a band I really liked would throw in the towel. I’d be all excited about the next record and the next thing I knew, they’re done, they’ve broken up and you never hear from them again. So I never want to do that to my fans. I always figured if they’re staying tuned, then there should be something there for them to check out. Whatever it is that’s affecting the band, it will probably blow over. The whole thing is just about looking long-term and saying, “let’s keep this thing alive, let’s keep doing this,” and I think it’s paid off.

Read more of what Mike Palm had to say to the Concordian at www.theconcordian.com/music.

Agent Orange will play at Foufunes Electriques on Feb. 4.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

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Profile

21st century shoegaze girls No Joy found their sound while living a continent apart Colin Harris Staff writer Writing songs over email may not be the conventional foundation for a band, but that was how No Joy’s members initially collaborated: sending tracks back and forth, discovering their songwriting chemistry. Montreal natives and founding members Jasmine White-Gluz and Laura Lloyd were nearly 4,000 kilometres apart while writing the songs for their first album.

“We only started the project once I left,” said guitarist and singer White-Gluz. “I was bored [in Los Angeles] and she was bored in Montreal and that’s when we came up with the idea, when we were apart. Then I came back and we started working with a full lineup.”

Pulling influence from My Bloody Valentine, the duo-turned-quartet released the fuzz-injected LP Ghost Blonde late last year.

Its songs found their origins in the duo’s long distance musical relationship.

“We had recorded stuff over the Internet when I was in California and [Laura] was in Montreal,” said White-Gluz. “We were both looking for something a little shoegazey, a little doomey, and we just started writing songs that way.”

“They were crappy, bad sound card, Garage Band overdubbed recordings,” said White-Gluz about those first demos. “Everything got fleshed out when I came back because it was much easier to arrange things that way.”

No Joy is currently turing around North America before jetting off to the U.K. Photo by Cam Lindsay While the casual observer might assume these two blond Canadian girls want nothing more than to sway onstage armed with heavy distortion, Ghost Blonde’s focused, heavy sound will refute any sceptic of their authen-

In the Spirit of Giving Back , we solicit your nominations for The Concordia Council on Student Life Awards and

The Concordia University Volunteer Initiative Recognition Awards

Winners from the 2010 Awards Night

Is your professor available to help you outside the classroom, to support your projects, listen to your problems and try to help?

Is there a staff member who has taken the time to go above and beyond their job to assist students with special projects or needs?

Has one of your fellow students shown initiative on campus to develop new projects, help out and make life better for students?

Does one of your friends volunteer in the community helping those less fortunate or working to address social ills?

Now is your chance to show how much you appreciate students, faculty and staff for being special and giving back by nominating them!

Guidelines and applications available online at: http://deanofstudents.concordia.ca/funding-and-awards/ or http://volunteer.concordia.ca/newsandevents/events/ Deadline for application: February 18, 2011 at 5pm

ticity.

“Laura and I had gotten into using effects, so naturally when you delve into that it’s kind of a no brainer that shoegaze music is going to pop up,” said White-Gluz.

“There’s no technique,” she laughed.

“I’m not that good at guitar, at all. That’s the beauty of playing this kind of music. It’s experimental so there’s no real rules about scales. It’s more about things that fit the songs than showing off mad guitar skills.”

Even so, the droning-guitar soundscapes are the driving force behind No Joy’s sound.

Staying true to the genre’s norms, No Joy’s vocals are a secondary element — adding texture more than melody.

“We’re the bane of sound guys everywhere because our vocals are intentionally buried,” said White-Gluz. “That can be kind of confusing for people who don’t really understand the genre ... There’s a process to writing [our lyrics] but they’re not really meant to be shared.”

“Our songs aren’t stories to sing along to,” she continued. “They’re intentionally buried, intentionally inaudible so you can make what you want out of them.”

No Joy is playing around North America before heading to the U.K. with Surfer Blood to promote the European release of Ghost Blonde in May. “It’s been great,” said White-Gluz about the touring experience so far. “We just met up with Best Coast and Wavves a couple shows ago and it’s been crazy. Really good, but really crazy.”

The band has no definite plans after the U.K. stint, and that’s the way they want it.

Taking it day by day suits them best making sure they enjoy the ride along the way.

“It’s just more weird than anything else that people want to see us,” said White-Gluz.

“We’re just dealing with that right now.”

No Joy plays Feb. 5 with Best Coast and Wavves. $18 advance, $20 door. Cabaret Mile End, 5240 du Parc Ave.

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theconcordian

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

MiXtAPe

SIDE A: 1. “Dance Yrself Clean” - LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening - 2010 2. “In For The Kill” (Skrillex remix) - La Roux - In for the Kill Remixes – EP - 2010 3. “Windowlicker” - Aphex Twin - Windowlicker Single - 1999 4. “Sparks Are Gonna Fly” - Catherine Wheel - Whishville - 2000 5. “2+2=5” (The Lukewarm) - Radiohead - Hail To The Thief - 2003 6. “Le Bon Sens” - Karkwa - Les Chemins De Verre - 2010 7. “Sannois Beach” - Champion - Resistance - 2009 8. “Retired” - Le Matos - M pour Montréal Ed. #4 - 2009 9. “Hustler” - Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release - 2007 10. “Mercury” - Bloc Party - Intimacy 2008

Compiled by Shannon H. Myers Staff writer

Wait for it

Ever wonder why your friend could possibly like the song they’re showing you with earnest enthusiasm? Then, as you start to ponder the necessity of said friendship, the song breaks out and FUCKING KILLS IT!?!? This mix is dedicated to songs that lead with the left and then BLAMO! K.O. with the right. They’re sneaky like that. Trust me: wait for it. And YouTube the last one. Do it.

To listen, go to: www.8tracks.com/the_concordian/wait-for-it

Quick Spins

Retro review

Ulcerate – The Destroyers of All (Willowtip; 2011)

White Lies- Ritual (Fiction; 2011)

Carmen Townsend – Waitin’ and Seein’ (Company House; 2010)

New Zealand’s Ulcerate play a slowburning and particularly atmospheric brand of death metal. Their approach is an interesting one. The drummer will often blast along at breakneck speeds while the guitar and bass build up a sprawling web of sound reminiscent of the absolute best post-metal.

It’s not even that they’re all that original; Ulcerate are clearly the sum of their influences, which likely range from Isis to Morbid Angel via diSEMBOWELMENT, and there hasn’t been much stylistic shift since Everything is Fire, their last full-length album. No, what makes The Destroyers of All so good is that it’s so goddamn convincing. The songwriting is flawless; nothing is dragged on for too long, and the buildups and drum fills are both unpredictable and effective. This is music to be contemplated and dissected, and it’s the sort of record you’ll be listening to years for years to come.

U.K. emo-pop darlings have returned with Ritual, the follow up to their highly successful debut To Lose My Life. Known for their dark, grandiose sound, these Brits channel the tortured spirit of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis yet usually tend to come off as a little hollow. The interesting thing about White Lies is that, on the surface, there isn’t anything readily wrong with their albums.

Ritual serves up radio ready, synthesized heavy tracks that make tapping your foot inevitable. The choruses soar with expansive instrumentals worthy of lighter filled arenas. Yet it’s upon closer inspection that you begin to see the cracks in the seemingly perfectly varnished facade. To begin with, singer Harry McVeigh is either deaf or incapable of feeling shame when you consider the cringe-worthy lyrics that pepper the 10 tracks. But even if one is ready to overlook this, the overall sound is simply too good to be true.

As a Cape Breton native, you would expect Carmen Townsend’s sound to be reminiscent of a Celtic female fronted trio. However, her long anticipated debut album Waitin’ and Seein’ can be described as raw Canadian indie rock. Throughout the album, the trio throws down consistent tracks that are heavy with guitar and boasting of Townsend’s vast and powerful wailing vocals.

Waitin’ and Seein’ brings in elements of grunge-era rock mixed with some folksier blues tunes and melodies, opening with the pounding rhythms and power chords of “River Rat,” and followed by upbeat tracks like “Hands and Mouths” and “Open Sea.” Softer acoustic numbers include “Sweet Little Bird,” “Start All Over” and “All That Was Left,” which give a nice change of pace.

Townsend’s strong lingering voice evokes Joni Mitchell’s sweet, quieter melodies to the raspier exposed sounds of Emily Haines, and at times reminding one of The Cardigans’ 2005 album Super Extra Gravity.

Trial Track: “Omens”

Trial Track: “Bigger Than Us”

Trial track: “Start All Over”

6.0/10

8.0/10

9.0/10

-Alexandre Perrault

- Cora Ballou

SIDE B: 11. “Shake A Fist” - Hot Chip - Made In The Dark - 2008 12. “FML” - Deadmau5 - For Lack Of A Better Name - 2009 13. “She Loves Everybody” (Pance Party Remix) - Chester French - Love the Future 2008 14. “I Came As A Rat” - Modest Mouse The Moon & Antarctica - 2000 15. “Fantasy” - The xx - xx - 2009 16. “Emerge” - Fischerspooner - #1 - 2001 17. “Posed To Death” - The Faint - Danse Macabre - 2001 18. “Genesis” - Justice - Cross - 2007 19. “Tiptoe” - Goldfrapp - Black Cherry 2003 20. “Slam” - Pendulum - Hold Your Colour - 2005

- Erin Relyea

The Cure – Disintegration (Fiction; 1989) By the time Disintegration was released, The Cure had already established themselves as gothic rock legends. Though they had remained on the outer fringes of the mainstream market, songs like “In Between Days” and “Let’s Go to Bed” had made them favorites in the underground rock scene. Yet being an authentic gloomy rocker, singer-songwriter Robert Smith resented this new-found fame and began delving into the world of hallucinogens. This would map the sound for their next and – ironically – highest charting album: Disintegration. Arguably the most popular song on the album is “Pictures of You” which would become the backdrop to many an indie flick.

Not to say that the rest of the album is any less memorable. Dark and echo-y, the songs convey the authentic feeling of being in emotional pain. The tracks are complicated and textured, yet keep a pop edge that make the songs accessible to even the most happy person. This mainstream appeal would later be amplified with the band’s next album Wish, which would go on to sell 1.2 million copies.

Trial Track: “Pictures of You”

- Cora Ballou

sports

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

19

Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com

football

Stingers welcome Chris O’Kill McMullen to the Hive

Stefano Mocella Staff writer The Concordia Stingers got what they were after.

Strongside linebacker Chris O’Kill McMullen from the provincial college champion Vanier Cheetahs will join the Stingers next season. O’Kill McMullen is excited to be joining a young team that he feels is on the rise.

“I feel the program has great potential to be a strong team in this province,” he said. “It was a young team the last couple of years, but they’re maturing now. I think we can reach new heights and make our mark on this conference.”

The team was looking for a strongside linebacker. Fortunately, they didn’t have to look too far to find their man, as the Vanier Cheetahs play their home games at Concordia.

Defensive co-ordinator Phil Roberts first noticed O’Kill McMullen in a friendly scrimmage between the Cheetahs and the Stingers. After further scouting by Roberts, the Stingers decided to reel him in.

“We feel he is the best strongside linebacker coming out of Quebec this year,” said head coach Gerry McGrath.

So, what does O’Kill McMullen think of his new coach?

“He seems like the guy to me, that if you work hard, he’ll always back you up,” he said.

“Something I respect about him is he feels players should be passionate and play inspired.”

Expectations are high for O’Kill McMullen in terms of what he can contribute to the team. He will be 21-years-old by the time the season starts, whereas most first-year players are only 18 or 19.

“My coaches expect me to set the example for the younger guys,” he said. “I need to help them out and give them that extra push if they need it.”

“Nothing’s guaranteed for me though in terms of a starting role. I’ll have to come in, practice hard and earn it. Even if I do get to start, I have to keep working hard; the best way to keep it is to work harder than everyone else.”

The team does have a need in this position. The role of a strongside linebacker is a big responsibility. The position requires stopping the run, as well as coverage skills. That means one must have a great combination of strength and speed to play the position.

O’Kill McMullen played for one year in St. Lazare when he was 14-years-old. He then moved to LaSalle, where he played for three seasons before being recruited by Vanier.

After his first season, O’Kill McMullen decided to take a year off from football. During his football sabbatical, he won a provincial championship in wrestling.

Chris O’Kill McMullen made 38 solo tackles last year for Vanier. Photo courtesy of Dorothée Harvey When he decided he missed football too much, he returned to the sport the following year.

He enjoyed a great season individually as well as with the team.

“I was lucky to be given another opportunity to play after taking a year off,” he said. “I’m happy I got a chance, then I was fortunate enough to have a great season which led to Concordia recruiting me.”

O’Kill McMullen was an integral part of the Cheetahs’ championship season last year. He compiled 52 tackles, 38 of those were solo tack-

les, despite not starting in the first five games of the season. He added two sacks and an interception. He is 6-3 and weighs in at 220 pounds.

“I kind of surprised myself with my great season last year,” he said. “I just went out there and gave it everything I had. Winning the championship was just surreal. It was just amazing to be a part of it.”

O’Kill McMullen recently signed his commitment papers to the school. He will study psychology at Concordia and should fill a much needed role on the football team.

hockey

Stingers spend two thirds of game in penalty box during loss to McGill Figsby-less week doesn’t go as well as planned Michael Lemieux Staff writer The men’s hockey team faced off against the McGill Redmen last Wednesday in a close game that eventually saw the Stingers fall 5-4 to the conference leaders.

The game was the first in the Stingers’ week without head coach Kevin Figsby, who is in Turkey coaching Team Canada at the Winter University Games until Feb. 6.

The game also held charitable significance as the proceeds from tickets sold to anyone wearing Australian colors went towards the Queensland government “Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal” to help with flood relief efforts in Australia.

After receiving the first penalty of the game, Concordia fell behind 1-0 when McGill centre Guillaume Doucet, on the power play, took a pass from behind that net that fell right on to his stick.

He flicked it in for McGill’s first goal.

Not to be outdone, Stinger Kyle Kelly tipped a puck ahead and 10 seconds after McGill had scored, Kelly tied it up when a breakaway led to a wrist shot that beat Redmen goalie Antoine Tardif blocker side.

With time ticking down on the first, the Stingers had a scare when McGill appeared to make a deflection that would have put them ahead. However, the goal was waved off after a referee ruled

One of many altercations during the game against McGill last Wednesday. Photo by Tiffany Blaise that the puck had been touched by a high stick.

Concordia started the second period off poorly.

McGill scored three minutes in when a scramble in front of the net put them ahead 2-1 after a shot by Christophe Longpre-Poirier went through Concordia goalie Raffaele D’Orso’s legs.

McGill was not finished; coming on strong, they nearly scored but an odd bounce caused the puck to go wide. Pouncing on the opportunity, Concordia rushed forward three-on-two, but were unable to get the puck past Tardif.

On the resulting faceoff, Redman Simon Marcotte-Légaré grabbed a breakaway and slapped one past D’Orso gloveside. McGill had widened their lead to two and put the pressure on

the Stingers.

Responding to McGill’s offensive push, the Stingers set up a scoring opportunity. After a slap shot was gloved by Tardif, a faceoff was called in McGill’s zone. Concordia won the faceoff, and the puck was passed to Stinger Jesse Goodsell who sent the puck flying past Tardif’s blocker side, keeping the game within one.

McGill, uncomfortable with only being ahead by one, responded less than a minute later. Redman Ryan McKiernan, from the blue line, shot the puck off the crossbar, but a lucky bounce saw it go in and McGill were up by two again, 4-2.

Once again, Concordia was forced to respond to McGill’s offence, and respond they did. With 18

seconds left in the second, Michael Stinziani shot one through that slipped between Tardif’s legs keeping the game within one.

As the third started, Concordia fans were frightened when a pair of slapshots threatened their chance of comeback, but D’Orso, who made 35 saves on 40 shots, wouldn’t have any of it, and slapped both away.

But when enough shots come at you, eventually, some of them are bound to get by you. That was the case when McGill defenceman Neil Blunden scored an unfortunate goal after an apparent pass from behind the net bounced off the inside of D’Orso’s pads and into the net. McGill was up 5-3 with 10 minutes left in the game.

The Stingers’ frustrations showed; in a two minute span, Concordia received an astounding 21 minutes in penalties, which deflated any hope of comeback.

As the time went down and the Stingers penalty kill worked hard to keep the Redmen from capitalizing on their mistakes, D’Orso shined.

Blocking goals left, right and centre, his effort rallied his team.

With 50 seconds left, D’Orso was pulled and captain Marc-Andre Element skated on. Picking up a pass right as he got to the blue line, Element slapped one in, making it look easy.

But the late final goal was not enough to overtake McGill’s lead and the Redmen skated off, victorious.

The Stingers fell 6-5 in overtime to Ottawa on Friday evening. George Lovatsis scored three goals and Maxime Joyal made 29 saves in the effort. The Stingers don’t take the ice again until Feb. 9 against UQTR.

20

theconcordian

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

basketball

One-on-one with Kyle Desmarais

The Stingers guard talks about basketball, cooking and his future Kalli Ringelberg Staff writer

There’s more to Stingers point guard Kyle Desmarais than the league-leading scorer you see on the court every weekend. The former football wide receiver only started playing in his teens, and has followed his true passion for basketball ever since. Desmarais sat down with the Concordian to talk about his love of food and wanting to be a chef, share words of praise for his teammates and coach, and discuss his relatively short, but interesting sporting career.

Concordian: What is your story as a basketball player?

Kyle Desmarais: I wasn’t always a basketball player, I actually started really late. I played soccer and football first. I was really just looking for something to do during the winter in the off-season, so my friend suggested I play basketball. I was 15 when I started and it was only in a house league, which is a lower level. At 17 I started playing for an inter-city AA team. At Dawson I got the chance to play for Wayne Yearwood, the assistant coach of team Canada.

“

It was the toughest year of my basketball life to just sit out and watch the team lose.

I told myself that the next year, at all costs, it wouldn’t happen again kyle Desmarais

In my first year at Dawson AAA I didn’t play, but the summer after that I worked really hard and the following year I became a starter. I was averaging at 20 points per game and we won the national championship. It was the best feeling in the world, going from to not playing to national champion. And the next year it only got better. I won MVP and all-Canadian. We lost in the finals, which was very disappointing. I then got a scholarship to play at Connecticut State. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite see eye-to-eye with the coach, because it was hard to understand exactly what he wanted from me. Sometimes he would play me and sometimes I wouldn’t play an entire game. I wasn’t happy and I didn’t like the city. That’s when I decided to come to Concordia. I knew the level of competition was a bit different, but I loved the coach, whom I already knew beforehand. At Concordia, I made it my main goal to win a national championship.

I think the team this year has all the tools to be able to pull it off. We need to improve some aspects of the game in order to compete with the top five teams. It is on us to put it together as a team. We are now in the top 10 of Canada.

You were on the team last year, but didn’t play?

Yes, I wasn’t eligible to play last year because of transferring from a division one team, so I had to sit the year out. It was the toughest year of my basketball life to just sit out and watch the team lose. I told myself that the next year, at all costs, it wouldn’t happen again. Our practices are more intense and we have become more efficient and it shows in our records. We beat an NCAA team at the Nike tournament. We won’t just accept second place, we are going for first all the way. I am very happy with our year so far, but not yet satisfied.

Kyle Desmarais is the leading scorer in the Quebec conference this year. He has 215 points, 46 more than any other player. Concordian archives Have you always wanted to be a basketball player?

I was a better football player when I started. I got recruited by several CEGEPs for football, but not in basketball. I’ve come to realize that my true love is basketball though.

When the odds were against me to make the spot on the Dawson team, I worked extremely hard and ended up beating out one of the better players for their spot. It felt great!

If you could be anything else what would you be?

I think I would get into cooking. Be a chef or something. I really like food. I watch the Food Network all the time. I wouldn’t mind something like cooking on cruises, that’s always an interesting option.

I study economics at school. I like it, but I also wouldn’t mind doing something with computer editing or video editing. I used to do it in high school, but it was very time consuming.

Last semester I took four classes and this semester I’m only taking three. I intend on focusing so I can finish the year strongly.

team.

seem to mesh well together.

How is the team dynamic?

What’s next for you after Concordia?

Everyone is real close. We practice, we work and we fight every day together. I’ve known some of the guys longer than others, but everyone likes everyone.

Off the court, after practices and stuff we’ll all hang out. We go out together. It feels like a little family. You just get so used to seeing the same people all the time. Being friends off the court also helps on the court. It creates a very good chemistry. When you enjoy the people that you play with, you’ll play better.

Everyone has a different personality, but they

I hope to play overseas, in Europe. It’s still a possibility, if I play hard. It’s one of my dreams. If not, I’d like to do something like marketing, maybe business marketing. If not, there is always cooking, or even sports management, I’ve always liked that. I think I could be good enough to go pro, but I’d still like to finish school.

I’d love to play somewhere like France, Spain or Italy, they are great places and extremely beautiful.

What’s the mood when you are on the court, with both teammates and fans?

Well the gym isn’t huge so even if it is half full it can get pretty loud and intense. The team is always very enthusiastic. Of course, we wish more fans would come out because we work well with the crowd, but we have a great team this year and we will for the next years coming. We lack a little in height, but we make it up in speed and athleticism. We are a very quick team. It’s great to have the home court advantage, and places like McGill have a lot of rivalry and it’s a weird atmosphere for us, but at the end of the day it’s the winning that matters, not how many people came out to cheer.

How do you feel about having such a young team this year, with not many veterans around?

Of course it would be nice to have the veterans’ leadership skills. Maybe they don’t contribute with big numbers, but it is very obvious how valuable they are during practices and off the court. Their leadership in the games is essential. And yeah, we have a lot of young guys, and on top of that they are very good players. I understand the coaches’ decision to “go young.” It’s tough losing friends; some of them were my roommates and great friends, but the coach knows best. Whatever he decides we know it’s for the best of the

Desmarais started playing basketball when he deicded he needed a winter sport. Photo by Tiffany Blaise

opinions

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

21

Write to the editor: opinions@theconcordian.com editorial

A step in the right direction: more IGMs, please More than ever, students need to discuss ideas and let the CSU know they’re paying attention The seventh floor of the Hall building houses two contrasting spaces that sit right next to each other, and both fulfill similar yet different purposes.

The main downtown cafeteria is serviced

by Chartwell’s all-you-can-eat buffet and now adorns huge ads which are part of the university’s new advertising deal. The caf area is sealed off from the rest of the student floor by glass partitions, as if to keep the university’s space separate from the open student space that dominates the seventh floor. You have to pay to sit there, which is why it’s mostly frequented by first-year res kids.

That other space on the seventh floor of the Hall building has fulfilled many uses over the last few years. Its open space replete with black leather couches makes it a place for studying, eating and chilling. You wait for People’s Potato vegan grub, watch television on your laptop or nap. You can hold a bake sale fundraiser or talk on the free phones.

Specifically, the area overlooking de Maisonneuve Boulevard has been rented out for a myriad of student causes. A display of Stingers sports pictures fills one wall, while CUTV’s Vox Populi camera sits in another.

Many events have taken place on that big seventh floor space: food fairs, orientation hangover breakfasts, panel discussions.

Both spaces are for students to hang out

and eat in, and are maintained by the university. But while the first is sealed off, the other is, relatively-speaking, open and free.

And so perhaps the most important role the black-leather-couch space fulfills is to make it easier for average students to engage with our representative body, the Concordia Student Union, like last week’s Information General Meeting.

The IGM was the first meeting of its kind that we can remember in recent years. The CSU threw open its doors to students, basically saying: “come on down, and tell us what you want.” It turned into a Hyde Park of sorts, where anyone could wait for a turn at the mic to share their thoughts.

To be sure, many of the people in attendance were the usual suspects: student politicians, media and campus activists. The CSU should have sent email reminders to the student body. The CSU mailer is not used nearly as much as it could be, or at least not as effectively as it should be. Parties, guest speakers and all-you-can-eat (but not drink) events are well advertised because the school is plastered in posters for them. Where was the IGM wallpaper in the last few weeks?

But it seemed right to have everyone gathered in one spot, hashing out hot topics and drafting motions that will be presented to the CSU council for representatives to vote on. (It’s too bad there did not appear to be more CSU councillors present at this meeting.

What, you can only spare one night a month to show up and do your job?)

The topics were wide-ranging, from water bottle policies to spending. Ideas were thrown around with what to do with the $6.9 million burning a hole in the CSU’s student centre

letter

Re: Calling for a day of action We are calling on all students and organizations to take action against the ongoing tuition hikes and our faltering university administration.

Concordia’s senior management and Board of Governors have violated the public trust. The very people trusted with the stewardship of our institution have steadily guided students toward an increasing debt load, a destabilized and leaderless campus environment and a lack of communal faith in the value of our academic work.

First, we learned that tuition will increase exponentially over the next four years, with international students facing severe hikes. Then, graduate tuition fee payments were restructured without consulting students about the potential impacts. Finally, the secretive executive committee of the Board of Governors thrust the campus into upheaval by forcing the resignation of president Judith Woodsworth.

How is it that students face massive tuition hikes while outgoing university administrators receive millions in golden parachutes?

In light of this hypocrisy, a 100-signature petition was submitted to the Concordia Student Union requesting that they hold a special general meeting on Feb. 14. The Graduate Student Association already unanimously adopted a motion to hold a general meeting on the same day.

The Feb. 14 demonstration already has the support of some of the largest student organizations, including the Arts and Science Federation of Associations and the Teacher and Research Assistants of Concordia. Students also overwhelmingly voted in favour of the event during an open CSU meeting last Thursday.

During the general meeting, students will vote on the following motion: “Be it resolved that the Concordia Student Union calls for a Day of Action to denounce the Ministry of Education’s proposed tuition fee hikes, in solidarity with Quebec students and all those with a stake in accessible education. This Day of Action will be

fund. (Student bursaries? Sprucing up Loyola?

We doubt that we’ll be building a student centre, so spend, spend, spend.)

The CSU has tried to throw open the doors before: president Heather Lucas’ monthly town hall meetings barely registered a ripple of attention. Last year, then-president Amine Dabchy wooed students to come shoot the breeze at “Coffee with Amine” casual events.

Who knows why these events failed to attract the same muster this event did. Maybe the formal structure of the IGM helped, with graduate students Roddy Doucet and Erik Chevrier running the show as co-chairs of sorts, and a CSU employee taking minutes.

Maybe it’s the outcry over the university administration’s blatant lack of regard for students’ money or concerns, with the Pepsi

Graphic by Katie Brioux contract and Woodsworth fiascoes. Now is the time to have discussion, to let our student politicians know where we stand, and how they should be consequently acting.

After foisting a fall campaign to increase the amount of money you pay to a fund for a student centre you likely won’t see, and failing in that regard, the CSU has apparently temporarily backed down from this ambitious project. They seem to be just focusing on working on what students want. Well, there’s nothing like getting down to business with a few months left in term.

We liked this IGM. And we hope we have more of them, and that more students come out to take advantage of the supposed open ears of their elected officials.

campus in effect immediately upon adjournment of the Special General Meeting, lasting for the entire day.”

Holding a day of action would send a strong message to our leaders in Quebec City that enough is enough. We also want to send a clear message to our university government that students must have a voice in how our university is run.

Relentless pressure from the university and Quebec City may leave some students feeling powerless, but the opposite is true. A group of just 100 graduate students recently protested in Norman Bethune Square alongside Free Education Montreal, and were able to extract considerable concessions from the university, including a freeze on any late tuition payment charges. We can do more.

The CSU council will have to deliberate quickly and intelligently over the next few days, as the ball is already rolling. The CSU’s new mobilization committee seems ready to make this assembly one of their own projects, which is an exciting step. We genuinely hope that the CSU council and executive devote the same level of energy and support at this pivotal moment. There is little time to waste.

But that is just a tip of the iceberg. Above all else, massive student participation is essential.

We are calling on all students and organizations to concentrate substantial energies and resources to making this assembly a success.

Substantial work and mobilizing needs to be done, and the next few days leading up to Feb. 14 are critical. While time is limited, students work best under pressure.

In this spirit, we hope to see all of you at our first mobilization and planning event on Feb. 4.

The event will take place at 4 p.m. on the seventh floor in the Hall Building. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and working with you during these exciting times. See you then.

For more information visit: www.concordiastudents.ca. Warm your heart, freeze tuition!

- Concordia Students for a Special General Meeting

Shuttle bus is less than ideal during winter season Long wait times and cold weather make shuttle use almost unbearable Andri Cahyadi Contributor As if getting through a Montreal winter is not hard enough, the Concordia shuttle bus that transports students between the two campuses has been rather indolent this winter term.

Students who have class on both campuses in one day are getting in the awful habit of being late to class. There has to be a way for us to still manage to be on time, and Concordia should be looking to do things so that can be possible.

Shuttle buses now leave each campus every 25 minutes (or so). Last semester, a shuttle bus would leave each campus every 10 to 15 minutes during peak hours.

Concordia has blamed the longer times on

construction throughout the city, but the school has also said buses would “try to leave quickly” when arrived to a campus. Experience has shown in the last month that this is simply not true. There is still a schedule drivers must adhere to, and they will not leave earlier than the times listed. What is more frustrating is waiting in line to get onto an empty shuttle bus when no one is allowed on. It would be really nice if the drivers could let us wait inside. They don’t have to turn the heat on, but the insulated buses could offer great relief from the frigid, face-freezing temperatures outside.

So if the buses are just sitting there, empty, they are definitely not leaving as quickly as possible. If they are scheduled to leave every 25 minutes but are often parked at either campus for, sometimes, more than 10 minutes before leaving, then drivers are making the trip in less than 25 minutes.

If students travelling between both campuses will constantly be late to class, can they at least be let inside the buses to alleviate chances of getting hypothermia?

Students wait for the Concordia shuttle bus. Photo by David Vilder

theconcordian

Concordia’s weekly, independent student newspaper.

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011 Volume 28 Issue 19.

Sarah Deshaies Editor-in-chief editor@theconcordian.com Brennan Neill Managing editor managing@theconcordian.com Evan LePage News editor news@theconcordian.com Jacques Gallant Assistant news editor Emily White Life editor life@theconcordian.com Savannah Sher Assistant life editor Valerie Cardinal Arts editor arts@theconcordian.com Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo Assistant arts editor Katelyn Spidle Music editor music@theconcordian.com Kamila Hinkson Sports editor sports@theconcordian.com Chris Hanna Opinions editor opinions@theconcordian.com Owen Nagels Assistant opinions editor Christopher Kahn Online editor online@theconcordian.com Tiffany Blaise Photo editor photo@theconcordian.com Katie Brioux Graphics editor graphics@theconcordian.com Trevor Smith Chief copy editor copy@theconcordian.com Morgan Lowrie Sofia Gay Copy editors Jill Fowler Production manager production@theconcordian. com Jennifer Barkun Francois Descoteaux Lindsay Sykes Production Assistants Board of Directors Tobi Elliott Richard Tardif Ben Ngai directors@theconcordian.com Editorial 7141 Sherbrooke St. W. CC.431 Montreal, QC H4B 1R6 514.848.2424 x7458 (Newsroom) 514.848.2424 x7499 (Editors) 514.848.2424 x7404 (Production) Francesco Sacco Business Manager business@theconcordian.com Marshall Johnston Advertising advertising@theconcordian. com Business and Advertising: 1455 de Maisonneuve W. H.733-4 Montreal, QC H3G 1M8 514.848.2424 x7420 (Office) 514.848.7427 (Fax) STAFF WRITERS AND CONTRIBUTORS: Shereen Rafea, Renee Giblin, Hiba Zayadeen, Caroline Crawford, Aalia Adam, Kalina Laframboise, Corey Pool, Stephanie Mercier Voyer, Mel Lefebvre, Amanda Dafniotis, Elizabeth Tomaras, Brenda Raftlova, Daniel Spinali, Colin Harris, Andrew Guilbert, Shannon Myers, Cora Ballou, Erin Relyea, Michael Lemieux, Kalli Ringelberg, Stefano Mocella, Eva Kratochvil, Andre-Joseph Cordeiro, Andri Cahyadi. Matias Garabedian, Nazli Bozoglu, David Vilder, Tristan Glen, Cindy Lopez, Brittany Carmichael, Sean Kershaw, Phil Waheed, Valerie Brunet, Arnaud Pages

business

theconcordian

Wal-Mart is convenient, cheap

and not as evil as people wish it was Retail giant opening one-stop-shop supercentres in Quebec this spring Chris Hanna Opinions editor Imagine a place where you can buy absolutely everything you need for your home and yourself, from fruits and vegetables, to meat and poultry, to getting your photos developed and picking up your dry cleaning, to furniture, television sets and other electronics. How convenient would it be for all those items and services to be available under one gigantic roof?

Well, in Montreal, places like that already exist in Maxi & Cie and Loblaws mega grocery stores. Why, then, has the announcement that Wal-Mart is planning on opening its signature one-stop-shop supercentres in Quebec ruffled so many feathers? People are suddenly worried about smaller grocery and convenience stores and depanneurs being forced out of business. Canadian grocery behemoth Loblaws (which incidentally operates Loblaws, Maxi and Provigo stores) have overshadowed and overpowered the presence of the momand-pop stores in the city and already make it impossible for those to survive.

Wal-Mart is a trusted American retailer that has been operating in Canada since the mid-’90s, and it is likely to offer the same products as Loblaws and co. at much more competitive prices. The fact that we are willing to let Canadian mega grocery stores stomp on the city’s diverse specialty and corner stores but make a fuss about an American chain doing the same thing is hypocritical.

Wal-Mart Canada’s supercentres (they made the effort to spell in the Canadian way) launched in Ontario in 2006, and a Wal-Mart spokesperson said it caused prices to be pushed down. Competition is good: it offers consumers the lowest possible price and also gives people more than one place as an option for groceries. Given its incredible purchasing power, it is likely that Wal-Mart will become the cheapest place to get all of your groceries, too.

Wal-Mart has not announced where Quebec’s three supercentres will be located,

Graphic by Sean Kershaw

but it has announced that they will be carrying locally grown and produced products, like cheese.

The Wal-Mart store in the Ste-Dorothée area of Laval has been undergoing renovations since before the holidays. Shoppers who use their credit or debit cards at that store would have also noticed that they are now billed to Wal-Mart Supercentre Laval, as opposed to Wal-Mart Laval.

There are also rumours that the Wal-Mart store on Le Corbusier boulevard in the Centre Laval mall is going to move into the nearby, and mostly-abandoned, Centre 2000 on Daniel Johnson and Saint-Martin.

Wal-Mart is responsible for a lot of the traffic to and from Centre Laval and the possible move surely worries some retailers, as those Wal-Mart-bound shoppers will no longer have a reason to visit the mall and stumble into those retailers’ stores. Merchants there saw a dip in customer traffic at the beginning of the last decade when the Famous

Players movie theatre moved and became the Famous Players Colossus at a nearby strip mall.

Malls are built around Wal-Mart stores.

The traffic caused by Wal-Mart shoppers gives surrounding stores invaluable exposure that they would otherwise not get.

While most supercentres in Ontario are open late, and some in the United States even stay open 24 hours a day, labour and operating hour laws in Quebec will make extended or overnight hours a very unlikely scenario, so there is no cause for concern about the need for security and employees being forced to work graveyard shifts.

As of last summer, Wal-Mart stores in Canada employed over 80,000 Canadians.

The supercentres slated to open in 2011 and 2012 are expected to create another 9,000 construction and retail jobs. Is not allowing an American company to employ 9,000 of our people the right step for Canadians and their economic welfare?

campus

What should Concordia’s policy towards kirpans be?

University does not have official, specific rules towards Sikh religious dagger Andre-Joseph Cordeiro Staff writer “Multiculturalism may be a Canadian value but it’s not a Quebec one.” That was the comment by PQ MNA Louise Beaudoin, after a group of Sikhs were barred from entering the Quebec National Assembly, where they would have spoken out against a ban on the kirpan in upcoming anti-niqab legislation.

Even around campus, some students believe it could be dangerous for Sikhs to carry the ceremonial daggers in classrooms.

In 2006, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously ruled that a ban on kirpans in a Montreal school went against the Charter of Rights. “Religious tolerance is a very important value of Canadian society,” Justice Louise Charron stated resoundingly. Kirpans can even be worn in Parliament.

Concordia University is not all that different from Parliament: it is made up of people from different backgrounds, genders, races and places who are in constant contact with each other.

According to media relations director Chris Mota, Concordia does not have an official policy towards the carrying of kirpans, but now is as good a time as any to put rules in place that will highlight the school’s diversity and openness. Mota said Concordia has a policy barring any kind of weapons.

It is time for it to recognize that the kirpan should never fall in that category. Besides, as Justice Charron pointed out, there are many objects that can be used as weapons, like scissors, pens and pencils.

The kirpan is a dagger, yes, but above that it is a religious symbol worn by Sikh males.

It’s no different than wearing a cross around your neck if you are a Christian, or a star of David if you are Jewish. The kirpan itself is blunt, and is worn sheathed and usually under clothing.

Followers of Sikhism are not few. There are over 25 million worldwide, and Canada boasts the third highest Sikh population in the world, with over 275,000 Canadians identify-

ing themselves as Sikh, according to the 2001 census. It’s also a religion whose beginnings can be traced back to the 17th century. All this to to say that Sikhism is not a new fad with strange observances.

Concordia administration must stand with our Sikh brethren. Our very name comes from the Latin meaning of harmony. How can we live up to our name if we would potentially implement a policy of intolerance? Our policy must show our true Canadian and Quebec colours, but more importantly, the diversity of our student population.

Concordia is made up of thousands of students, each with a different ethnic backdrop with which they provide unique insight in each of our courses. Marginalizing a culture only takes away from our own. Together, by drafting a clear policy allowing kirpans and other religious symbols on campus, we can show the world that we will not let our insecurities of other cultures cloud our judgment and misguide our decisions.

Graphic by Phil Waheed

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theconcordian

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

23

The Etcetera Page Special “Egypt” edition. A reminder that time and comedy heal — some wounds.

“Egyptian President has been in office for 30 yrs... that’s not a president that’s a pharaoh.” - Comedienne Loni Love (@LoniLove)

Check out www.theconcordian.com to see more opinions, and add your own.

Q: How do you feel about Wal-Mart opening up supercentres in Quebec in the spring?

“Anyone know why my favourite Egyptian porn site isn’t working?” - Writer Eric Stangel (@EricStangel)

Andrea Palmer - first-year sociology

“Mubarak should probably turn the Internet back on so he can book a trip on Expedia.” - Comedian Andy Borowitz (@BorowitzReport)

“I feel a little bit mixed because I don’t like Wal-Mart as a corporation. But at the same time, as a consumer who is poor, sometimes you have no choice but to shop at Wal-Mart based on price.”

Alex Matta - second-year mechanical engineering “I think it sucks. It pushes out all the good businesses, the ones you can actually bargain with. They give you quality and if they screw up they know you’re not going to come back, you’re just going to go to another guy, whereas Wal-Mart, once it sets up shop there’s no room for competition. It crushes them all with their giant stores.”

Andy Filipowich - third-year contemporary dance

A bookshelf in the silkscreening studio. Photo by Brittany Carmichael

Compiled by Eva Kratochvil

Horoscopes Aries - March 21 to April 20 If you stay cooped up inside any longer, you will officially suffer from winter madness. Go out, paint the town red and bury your sorrows in a great meal.

Taurus - April 21 to May 21 There’s no better feeling than knowing you have someone who will listen to your every problem. This week, the tables are turned. Lend an ear to a good friend.

Gemini - May 22 to June 21 Reciprocity. Karma. If you’re good to people, they’ll be good in return. If they’re not, then they’re not people you want to be around anyway.

Cancer - June 22 to July 23 You’ll find yourself in a case of “he said, she said” mid-week. Just play it cool.

Some people just can’t help but lie.

Deny, but don’t be too defensive.

Leo - July 24 to August 23 Enjoy the simpler things in life this week. Try not to use your gadgets this week. You’ll be surprised to learn how much spare time you’ll free up.

Virgo - August 24 to September 23 A dramatic episode this weekend will make everyone around you want to hear your story. Don’t lie, but spin it so people are on your side.

Libra - September 24 to October 23 There’s nothing wrong with self-confidence, as long as it doesn’t verge on nauseating vanity. Keep that in mind when talking to your co-workers and boss.

Scorpio - October 24 to November 23 There’s no shame in asking for help.

There are many things that you can’t do alone. People will appreciate that you are reaching out.

Sagittarius - November 24 to December 21 Lay low this week. You don’t have to try so hard to get people’s attention. Everyone already notices you.

Capricorn - December 22 to January 20 Fake it ‘til you make it. Under no circumstance should you tell someone you don’t know how to do something. Trust in you. You’re a natural.

Aquarius - January 21 to February 19 Manners matter, and sometimes it’s the little things that make people gasp and raise their eyebrows. Remember common courtesy and that you are not alone anywhere.

“I think we need to be careful when we bring in larger corporations, like Wal-Mart, in certain areas and we need to be able to know what the consequences of that action are.

It could be a very beneficial thing for the community because it will bring lower prices for them.”

Pisces - February 20 to March 20 You can try, but you don’t have control over everything. Sometimes you just have to let things be and see how it all turns out.

You share a birthday with...

Feb. 1: Clark Gable, Rick James, Lisa Marie Presley Feb. 2: Shakira, Farrah Fawcett, Christie Brinkley Feb. 3: Isla Fisher, Maura Tierney, Morgan Fairchild Feb. 4: Charles Lindbergh, Rosa Parks, Alice Cooper Feb. 5: Christopher Guest, Barbara Hershey, Michael Sheen Feb. 6: Axl Rose, Bob Marley, Tom Brokaw, Ronald Reagan Feb. 7: Ashton Kutcher, Charles Dickens, Chris Rock Feb. 8: Jules Verne, James Dean, Jack Lemmon

* TUES 01

WED 02 THURS 03

FRI 04

SAT 05

SUN 06 MON 07

EVENTS AT A GLANCE HELP PROMOTE CONCORDIA EVENTS! ALL EVENT LISTINGS ARE ADVERTISED FOR FREE SEND YOUR IDEAS TO EVENTS@THECONCORDIAN.COM PLEASE LIST NAME OF EVENT, LOCATION, AND TIME Le Divan Orange Casa Del Popolo Bain St-Michel Centaur Theatre Théâtre Ste-Catherine Joyce Yahouda Gallery Leonard & Bina Ellen Gallery CSU Lounge FOFA Gallery Espace Verre

22h00 22h00 ongoing until Feb. 20 ongoing until Feb. 27 20h00 ongoing until Feb. 12 ongoing until Feb. 19 19h00 ongoing until Feb. 11 ongoing until Feb. 27

Le Divan Orange Galerie Ouest

22h00 ongoing until March. 6

Le Divan Orange Bar Populaire Théâtre Ste-Catherine Galerie Ouest

22h00 18h00 ongoing until Feb. 5 19h00-21h00

Il Motore Le Divan Orange Concordia Gym Concordia Gym Théâtre Rialto GM-200 (Concordia Health Services, 1550 de Maisonneuve W)

22h00 22h00 18h00 20h00 20h30 14h30-16h00

Cabaret Mile End Il Motore

22h00 22h00

Le Divan Orange Casa Del Popolo University of Ottawa Sports Complex Tableau D'Hôte Theatre

22h00 22h00 18h00 ongoing until Feb. 13

Le Divan Orange Casa Del Popolo Ed Meagher Arena

22h00

Casa del Popolo

22h00

H-110 Théâtre Ste-Catherine

19h00 19h00

+MUSIC +MUSIC +THEATRE +THEATRE +FILM FESTIVAL +EXHIBIT +EXHIBIT +EXHIBIT +EXHIBIT +VISUAL ARTS

Album launch: Harvee + TWIN TIGERS + Sandman Viper Command Couples + The Lindberg Line Joe Louis: An American Romance Stones in his Pockets Found Footage Festival Annie Briard's the space in between L'artiste & son poète Jesus Without Religion Holocene and Atmosphere Nature-inspired glass-work by Dominique Beaupré St-Pierre

+MUSIC +VISUAL ARTS

The Loodies + Beverlay Seven at Galerie Ouest

+MUSIC +CONCORDIA +MUSICAL COMEDY +VERNISSAGE

MICHOU + invites Book launch: The People's Potato's new cookbook Vegan on a Shoestring 2 Squeegee Nights Seven at Galerie Ouest

+MUSIC +MUSIC +STINGERS +STINGERS +CELEBRATION +CONCORDIA +MOVIES

Hotel Morphee + Erewhon MORDICUS + Racine Rose Men's basketball vs. UQAM Women's basketball vs. UQAM Kino's 12th anniversary GSA Women's health workshop Premieres: Sanctum, The Roommate

+MUSIC +MUSIC +MUSIC +MUSIC +STINGERS +THEATRE

Best Coast + WAVVES + No Joy Julie Doiron + Adam & The Amethysts Shortpants Romance + Silver Dapple Rape Faction + Procedure Club + Postcards Women's hockey @ Ottawa Humans

+MUSIC +MUSIC +STINGERS

Eugene et le Cheval + Neige The Olympic Symphonium + David Myles + David Simard Women's hockey vs. Carleton

+MUSIC +CINEMA POLITICA +FESTUARY

Hush Arbours + Jason Ajemian + Valleys Let's Make Money Kid Koala spins for drawing Mondays

22h00 15h00